View Full Version : Kitten & My Bed!!!
claudiab
14-11-2007, 09:41 AM
I need help before i die from lack of sleep!!
I have recently acquired a 4month old stray male kitten, who apart from at bedtime is well behaved clean and very playful.
He sleeps on the bed with us and will not in any circumstances stay on the landing. I have shut him out on the landing only to have him scratching the door, throwing himself at the door and crying for hours on end. When he is on the bed he wakes us up by licking us every few hours to be taken downstairs to be fed and use his litter tray - despite the fact he knows damn well where his food and litter tray are!!! (one night we weren't there, so i know that he knows where everything is by now!!!) Is he having us on???
If we try to make him stay on the floor he thinks were playing so for the past 10 days i'm getting about 4hrs sleep in total, help!!!!!!!!
smudgley
14-11-2007, 09:52 AM
Hello & welcome to catsey. My answer would be to shut him in the kitchen at night with his litter tray & food. :)
Hi and welcome to Catsey.
at the moment he is training you and not the other way round. It's working well by the sound of it:lol: .
I go with Smudgley, you have to be firm or you will have no life (as you are finding out)
Be strong. Lock him in the kitchen and ignore him. OK it's not easy but you have to.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Warm welcome to Catsey :D Certainly sounds like he has you wrapped around his little paw ;) I'd be inclined to shut him in a room downstairs during the night with his food, water, toys and litter tray, I'm sure after a few night he'll get used to the routine and you'll manage to get your rest ;) Good luck, do let us know how you get on!
claudiab
14-11-2007, 10:30 AM
Cheers Guys - my only problem is that i have an open plan kitchen - therefore no door on it and fish in the lounge which he loves to attack, so he can't sleep in there so im stuck!! He also loves water so theres no locking him in any of the bathrooms or toilets as he plays with the taps and plays under the water!!
If anyone knows of ayone who wants a kitten in the Swindon area please let me know, as we cannot keep him
xx
I personally do not advocate crates/cages but in the circumstances why not get a really large one? Put all his toys, litter tray ect in it at night. Do this for a couple of months until he's older and in a routine.
Or better still if you have a spare bedroom put him in there. Try a clock wrapped in something with your smell on it in his bed.
Sorry just typing away as things come to mind. Surely it's a bit drastic to re home him.
Claudia, why did you ask for help re a problem in your first post to then go on in your next post to say you are rehoming him? :? Don't you think re-homing him is a bit drastic? There are certainly ways and means round this problem...
claudiab
14-11-2007, 10:57 AM
i work all day, and am often away at weekends so i can't give him a good home and i feel awful for leaving him by himself, so i do really think he needs a family who can look after him better than me, plus the fact my mother comes down quite often with 2 big burly dogs who love nothing better than trying to kill cats and such like. I do have a spare bedroom but i don't want him going in there in case he decides to not bother using his litter tray.
Can he stay in the garage or something or does anyone know of anyone in the Swindon area who wants a kitten?
I'm sorry but I think your at it! You dont want to solve this problem at all.
Were offering solutions, trying to help you but you dont want help do you?
Tinker
14-11-2007, 11:02 AM
I hope you find him a good home soon.
In the mean time I would shut him in the spare bedroom at night - and have a litter tray in there for him to use (not forgetting some food and water of course).
He will scratch the door to start off with - and you will have to ignore him otherwise he will train you to let him out whenever he scratches.
I wouldn't shut him in the garage - it will be really cold at this time of year, and there are usually no end of potentially dangerous things in garages that kittens could hurt themselves with if they deicded to play with them.
Donna
14-11-2007, 11:02 AM
Crazy!!!!!!!!
claudiab
14-11-2007, 11:12 AM
Huh? Why are you being rude? I'm only asking. I've never had a cat before, i'm a dog lover.
I have shut him in another room but he cried but 6 whole hours non stop, in fact at the end of it he was wailing. Can cats go out at night? There are lots round our way who are out at night, can i do that with him?
Stressed of Swindon!
claudiab
14-11-2007, 11:16 AM
Hi Fran - whilst he's with me of course i want to know what to do, but yes he does need rehoming as is it not cruel to leave an animal by itself all day? Im sorry for the stupid questions but i've never had a cat and have no idea what ii'm supposed to do whether i am doing it right. I feel so sorry for him that his owners couldn't be bothered to go find him and he ended up with me :(
sorry again guys
Claudis rudeness doesn't come into it. You come on to a cat lovers site and ask for help. When help is offered you come up with a pile of negatives. Then it transpires that you don't really want help you want to re home.
You say you are a dog lover, we'll there's plenty of us here too.
You ask if you can leave a 4 month old kitten in your garage overnight in the winter? You try spending the night in your garage and answer that question. I'm sorry but I'm exasperated with you.
As for big dogs plenty of us have them too.
claudiab
14-11-2007, 11:32 AM
I'm sorry to have riled you, but i just don't know what to do with him. I have had people at work tell me i'm being cruel for keeping him indoors, others tell me that a cat should never stay inside, i just don't know what to do with him whilst i do have him! I tried the water spraying advice that i saw on here - which he thought was a game!!
My mothers dogs are nasty things when it come sto other animals (great with people!!), and i would'nt let the poor love anywhere near them having see them kill a baby cat last week in a field, in fact i've rechristened them Ronnie & Reggie!
At 16 weeks think he is a bit young to be out at night, although I have 5 adult cats and they do not get out at night...Sounds to me like this little one needs some TLC, he is just a baby...
Have you tried the CPL or any other cat rescue...
My 5 live with a boxer and 2 staffies....
claudiab
14-11-2007, 11:54 AM
Thank you, i have tried both and have adverts up with both of them. I go on holiday tomorrow for 5 days which will be great for catching up with some sleep - i have heard so many different views from people that my head is all of a swirl!
I have told my mother that the dogs are now band from my house while little pussy cat is there, but has she listened?? No!! They are used for hunting and are too thick to realise they can't hunt everything!!!
What are you going to do with the kitten while you are away??
claudiab
14-11-2007, 12:04 PM
my husband is begrudgingly looking after him when he can
For the time being, why not take the food and litter tray into your bedroom at night? That way he can have his cuddles and eat without waking you up.
claudiab
14-11-2007, 12:25 PM
aah yes maybe i'll try that and hopefully he's stay on the floor, stupid question but how do you tell a cat off? I shout at him but he just ignores me, i think i saw him stick two fingers up at me last night!
aah yes maybe i'll try that and hopefully he's stay on the floor, stupid question but how do you tell a cat off? I shout at him but he just ignores me, i think i saw him stick two fingers up at me last night!
:lol: :lol: :lol: , I find just saying no to my lot works....
Wish you were nearer to me, I know someone who would take him...
SarahB
14-11-2007, 12:35 PM
Claudia,
No real advice but just thought I'd let you know my experience:
When we got our first ever cats (8 week old kittens) I was shocked by how much they managed to interrupt our night's sleep (given that I used to sleep through anything and everything). I have an open plan downstairs too and so couldn't shut them in a room down there. Closing the bedroom door just resulted in them scratching all night to be let in.
In the end we just put up with a few weeks of interrupted sleep, ignored them whenever they woke us up (or picked them up and dumped them out in the hall) and eventually they stopped and just started sleeping on the bed.
As for letting them outside overnight - we didn't let our kittens out until they were 6months old and spayed. After that we did try to lock them in the house overnight but eventually they figured that out and started not coming home when it got dark so we gave up and let them go out when they wanted. Not sure if this is the 'official' advice but it worked for us.
Hope you manage to get everything sorted.
Hello Claudia, can I ask how long you have had this kitten and where it came from?
claudiab
14-11-2007, 12:49 PM
I have it since 4th November and it just wandered in and has never left. i have left adverts all over my estate, and at all the vets places but no one has come forward. I am a little worried as i can't afford vets fees so wouldn't be able to pay for neutering or vaccinations etc which obviously all cats need i presume, i just wish his rude and ignorant real family would show up, but hey that looks like its too much to ask!
Have you tried to find him a new home?? there may be someone looking for a kitten local to you..
claudiab
14-11-2007, 01:07 PM
yep i've asked about put up adverts but heard nothing, fingers crossed someone will take him and soon, the vet surgery said i should keep him til i find him a new home - i only let him in cos he was scared of the fireworks going off - that'll teach me in future!!
I have it since 4th November and it just wandered in and has never left. i have left adverts all over my estate, and at all the vets places but no one has come forward. I am a little worried as i can't afford vets fees so wouldn't be able to pay for neutering or vaccinations etc which obviously all cats need i presume, i just wish his rude and ignorant real family would show up, but hey that looks like its too much to ask!
Claudia, it seems you took this kitten in around Bonfire night which was kind of you as no cat/kitten should be allowed to roam when there are firework being let off. I understand that you had no intention of owning a cat and you were just looking after this little one until you found it's owners so now maybe, instead of offering him/her to just anyone, you could contact your local Cat's Protection in Swindon and hand the kitten over to then. They will give the kitten a better chance of finding a home where it will be loved and cared for for the rest of its life.
Here's a link to their website, give them a ring and see if they can help.
http://www.swindoncp.co.uk/
Please let us know how you get on...:)
smudgley
14-11-2007, 02:38 PM
Why the hell did you take the kitten in when you had no intentions of keeping him or knowledge of how to care for him? :roll:
You ask about punishing him, you've been spraying him with water, you want to shut him out all night or in the garage, no wonder he wakes you up at night, he's probably getting his own back.
Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I hear tales like this every day of the week!
Contact as many rescue places as you can & ask if they can help you out.
babycakes
14-11-2007, 03:55 PM
I am frustrated by this thread and agree with Mags about rehoming asap. Kittens take a lot of care as does owing a puppy....(do you remember what that was like being a dog lover??) The training process is exasperating but eventually things settle down so although you say you have tried the advice that has been offered you have to put it in for a couple of months to see the difference and be consistent ( a bit like what you do with children). If this really isn't what you are prepared to do then you need to rehome this kitten.
I cannot believe however that you have come onto a cat lovers site to inform us about your mothers unruly dogs killing kittens unless it is to get a reaction from the members here. Can you explain why you keep offering this information (in detail) if not for this reason. Your mother should not be owning dogs that she can not control (if indeed this thread is true) and although you say they wouldn't harm people how can you verify this with the behaviour they are curently allowed to display?
claudiab
14-11-2007, 04:09 PM
what was i supposed to do kick him out when the fireworks were banging everywhere? I presumed that his owners would come looking, but it would seem that they don't care. Im just trying to do my best til i find him somewhere to live. It was a thread i read on here to stop him biting and attacking me which was to use water in a spray. Im sorry i'm trying my best. I will put him out tonight and maybe he'll go back home. I sorry to have troubled you all
what was i supposed to do kick him out when the fireworks were banging everywhere? I presumed that his owners would come looking, but it would seem that they don't care. Im just trying to do my best til i find him somewhere to live. It was a thread i read on here to stop him biting and attacking me which was to use water in a spray. Im sorry i'm trying my best. I will put him out tonight and maybe he'll go back home. I sorry to have troubled you all
Please do not just put him out Claudia, he is just a baby, goodness knows what would happen to him....:(
babycakes
14-11-2007, 04:18 PM
what was i supposed to do kick him out when the fireworks were banging everywhere? I presumed that his owners would come looking, but it would seem that they don't care. Im just trying to do my best til i find him somewhere to live. It was a thread i read on here to stop him biting and attacking me which was to use water in a spray. Im sorry i'm trying my best. I will put him out tonight and maybe he'll go back home. I sorry to have troubled you all
How old are you??? That is a childish response. We are offering advice you haven't taken up, we are suggesting things that will work however you have to put some effort in over a period of time. A kitten bites, scratches and plays (continually) but if you read my previous post you are obviously riling the people on her due to the content of what you are posting
claudiab
14-11-2007, 04:23 PM
I know!!!!!!!!!!! I am so sorry, i am just so tired and don't know what to do with him and wish his stupid idiotic owners would just come and get him. I just wanted to know how to get him off the bed so i can sleep and i was just trying to say what i'd done or couldn't do that was all
Thank you all for your help
Tinker
14-11-2007, 04:24 PM
I will put him out tonight and maybe he'll go back home. I sorry to have troubled you all
If you really care about him please do not put him outside in the cold, where he could be run over by a car.
As I suggested earlier on this thread, put a litter tray and his food and water in your spare bedroom and let him spend the night there.
Have you contacted local vets to see if anyone is missing a kitten? Often missing animals are reported to vets. A vet may also offer to scan him for you to see if he is microchipped.
Make a list of all rescue organisations in your area who will take in cats, and phone them all to see if they have any space. Don't give up if the first few you call have no room.
claudiab
14-11-2007, 04:36 PM
I have an advert on with all my vets and hes not microchipped either, and i have adverts on with many websites in the area too.
i'm sorry i'm just not surving very well on such little sleep and with a husband who's not happy about it all either. I'll feel better after a bottle of wine i think
babycakes
14-11-2007, 04:47 PM
I have an advert on with all my vets and hes not microchipped either, and i have adverts on with many websites in the area too.
i'm sorry i'm just not surving very well on such little sleep and with a husband who's not happy about it all either. I'll feel better after a bottle of wine i think
My OH was not happy when we got my cat (who was feral) your kitten sounds part feral too. They unfortunately, are harder work as they are in survival mode all the time.
They do need their own room to begin with and then by giving them access to larger areas they become accustomed to the space. Put more than one litter tray out (one downstairs and one up) if not able to restrict to one room. Leave your door closed however hard it is to listen to it howling and scratching as the more you open the door the more it will get the message that you will do what it wants eventually. Buy some ear plugs, I did. (they come alive of a night, kittens not ear plugs!!) Put toys in the hall or landing and possibly in other rooms with treats in so it can play with them, and hunt through the night. provide a bed to sleep in a warm place (under a radiator). If all else fails you will have to lock it into the bathroom. Put the toilet seat down, remove your shower curtain, put food and litter tray in and make sure taps are tighly fastened. It's the only way for him to realise nighttime is for sleeping.
Mine took a couple of months unfortunately (sorry)
Claudia, May I ask what you do? You say you have no time for a kitten yet to my knowledge you have been on here since 8.45 this morning:shock:
Grete
14-11-2007, 04:51 PM
Claudia, it was really good of you to take him in on Fireworks night and I understand how tired and frustrated you are.
The kitten is a baby and if he was also a stray then he is overjoyed to be with you and probably doesn't want to be separated from you - hence the refusing to be out of the room. If you put him in the spare room, with his toys, tray and food/water he will be fine - no reason for him not to use the tray since he has used it already.
You did a good thing and if you wanted to persevere, he will settle down but takes time and patience. There are also things he needs from you and that cost - innoculations, neutering, worming, food. You've mentioned already that you can't afford it and also you don't really want to keep him.
That really is fair enough - not everyone is a cat person. You did what you could but now you need to find somewhere for him to go. The Cat's protection league is probably your best bet. Find where your local one is and then arrange to take him there. Please don't just put him out as he won't understand and looks like it will have happened to him twice :(
They will find him a good home.
claudiab
14-11-2007, 05:00 PM
Claudia, May I ask what you do? You say you have no time for a kitten yet to my knowledge you have been on here since 8.45 this morning
REPLY - i work in an office from 7.30a.m til 6pm hence i'm on here!
OK Claudia. No need to shout.
You bring that little kitten to the NEC Birmingham on Sat and I'll take him.
claudiab
14-11-2007, 05:08 PM
I wasn't shouting - i just didn't know how to use the quote bit sorry
So will you bring him to me?
claudiab
14-11-2007, 05:25 PM
i'm away as of tomorrow morning but will speak to my husband when i get in and see if he can get the train or something to Birmingham. He has an appt at the vets at the moment so we may well have solved the situation.
It is most kind of you thankyou
smudgley
14-11-2007, 05:25 PM
I need help before i die from lack of sleep!!
I have recently acquired a 4month old stray male kitten, who apart from at bedtime is well behaved clean and very playful.
He sleeps on the bed with us and will not in any circumstances stay on the landing. I have shut him out on the landing only to have him scratching the door, throwing himself at the door and crying for hours on end. When he is on the bed he wakes us up by licking us every few hours to be taken downstairs to be fed and use his litter tray - despite the fact he knows damn well where his food and litter tray are!!! (one night we weren't there, so i know that he knows where everything is by now!!!) Is he having us on???
If we try to make him stay on the floor he thinks were playing so for the past 10 days i'm getting about 4hrs sleep in total, help!!!!!!!!
If he's so well behaved & playful, why the need to shout at him & spray him with water?
smudgley
14-11-2007, 05:26 PM
i'm away as of tomorrow morning but will speak to my husband when i get in and see if he can get the train or something to Birmingham. He has an appt at the vets at the moment so we may well have solved the situation.
It is most kind of you thankyou
What do you mean?
What do you mean?
I was wondering that too...
I was wondering that too...
I was wondering that too.
claudiab
14-11-2007, 05:31 PM
a kind lady sent me a private message to let me know that vets will often take cats and rehome them for you, so my husband is having a chat with them now.
I only shout at him when he bites me as he does draw blood and i saw a thread on here that said about water spraying to stop them biting
He sounds like a really playful friendly little chap :)
If you need a quick fix, try moving the fish to another room and giving him the lounge. I'm sure the fish won't know they've moved home ;)
Regarding the dogs, tell your mum they're no longer allowed, unless she can keep them on a lead and controlled at ALL times. Especially if they have not been socialised with cats. I'd personally say no dogs allowed in your situation, as I get the impression you won't know what to do if a 'situation' arose. 2nd choice would be to keep the cat in a seperate room untill you can train the dogs to respect the cat (which mat not be possible depending on the dogs).
I think it would have helped to say you took in a stray, as otherwise it sounded like you were some silly person who took on a cat intentionally, without having the first clue about them - unfortunately we see plenty who do, and the cat's end up going into homes or being euthanised :(
Good luck.
borderdawn
14-11-2007, 06:09 PM
This kitten sounds like a real Tiger!! ;)
Dawn.
This kitten sounds like a real Tiger!! ;)
Dawn.
:lol: @ Dawn ;)
EmmaG
14-11-2007, 07:30 PM
Claudia, May I ask what you do? You say you have no time for a kitten yet to my knowledge you have been on here since 8.45 this morning
REPLY - i work in an office from 7.30a.m til 6pm hence i'm on here!
Perhaps if you were actually working rather than being on the internet you wouldn't have to work so long !!!! :roll:
Christ is this thread a wind up ????
My advice, is to get the poor kitten to the RSPCA or Cats Protection ASAP, you have no idea nor should you be looking after this kitten.
EmmaG
14-11-2007, 07:32 PM
This kitten sounds like a real Tiger!! ;)
Dawn.
LOL perhaps we should get Az to check the IP address and compare it :-D
smudgley
14-11-2007, 11:21 PM
Perhaps if you were actually working rather than being on the internet you wouldn't have to work so long !!!! :roll:
.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Darky
18-11-2007, 02:01 PM
I don't understand why she got a kitten in the first place, when she works so much. :C Surely that's common sense.
After reading this thread, I truly do not believe that she just 'picked it up'.
She seems like every other typical martyr-wannabe, wild story-telling person that posts fabricated stories for attention on forums. I've seen it happen on a few pet forums, and it's just utter nonsense.
If it is true, she should not be allowed anywhere near a cat until she grows up.
smudgley
18-11-2007, 02:31 PM
I don't understand why she got a kitten in the first place, when she works so much. :C Surely that's common sense.
After reading this thread, I truly do not believe that she just 'picked it up'.
She seems like every other typical martyr-wannabe, wild story-telling person that posts fabricated stories for attention on forums. I've seen it happen on a few pet forums, and it's just utter nonsense.
If it is true, she should not be allowed anywhere near a cat until she grows up.
I thought this thread had been & gone.I think we should put this one to bed again. :-D
Darky
18-11-2007, 02:32 PM
Sorry, I'm used to more active forums, so I always forget to check the dates of posts. XD
smudgley
18-11-2007, 02:45 PM
Sorry, I'm used to more active forums, so I always forget to check the dates of posts. XD
No worries, it was only a recent thread anyway, but just a strange one that took off & went a bit mad. :-D
vBulletin® v3.6.4, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.