Just had to give our new baby Time Out! Need some advice.
He is 9 weeks old and it has been a very long time (20 years) since we had a kitten in the house.He is a ragdoll, very energetic and adorable, he loves human company and follows us everywhere. Due to being a ragdoll he is an inside cat only. We have given him tons of toys and a scratching post but he still insists on jumping on my lap and computer while I am trying to type! I know he thinks I am playing but he has soooo much energy. My house is toddler and chihuahua proof but It is like have a toddler again only worse as he climbs onto my cabinets and am worried he will fall and hurt himself. Also found out he discovered some of my embroidery threads when I found them tangled on the floor. My sewing room door is usually shut but he has followed me in there a couple of times. I have now put my pins and scissors way out of his reach just in case he gets in there again.
I have been taking him outside in the garden on supervised play for half an hour with our chihuahua.
Any ideas from fellow cat owners how to entertain this youngster? I know he will grow out of it eventually, i'd just like some extra ideas from anyone that has a cat indoors all the time. Our last cat was not very sociable and never wanted to be indoors at all so this new baby is lots of fun especially for the kids.
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I love Rag Dolls. My aunt has 1 and her daughter has one. My aunt's is named Jazzy Girl and is several yrs. old now.. I dlo know they like high places and she still gets into things, continues to be eternally curious, very loving. She has the run of the house but likes to lie on the upstairs landing watching everything below her
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723974849I have not had a cat in years and I just love them. Your kitten is beautiful and like all small 'things' will soon learn. Just love the blue eyes. My daughter has a Siamese and the eyes are so similar.
255054Hi, we have a Ragdoll too. They have funny personalities and love to follow you around. It's one of their traits. Ours follows us and talks to us most of the day. He has a huge imagination and he does get into some trouble. It took about a year and half before he became a more mature kitty. He is wonderful now. He is intrigued with water from the faucet and has taught us to turn it on for him. He lies on his back and wants his tummy rubbed, and he has chased a fox from our yard. He doesn't seem to understand he is a soft fluffy indoor cat. He is dominate over our male Siamese of the same age. His fur never mats, and he is such a remarkable cat. He cannot resist a quilt being made!
3 comments
by hightechgrammy
29 Mar 2015
Your little kitty is beautiful and someday you'll suddenly realize he is much better behaved!
59631Our last cat loved sitting with me while I stitched. Either on my lap or beside me.
I was doing hand stitching so when he grew too long to fit on my lap, I moved to sitting on the bed and he would lay on my extended legs. He was a very long cat.
My current cats love to sit with DH and me. I have made safe places to sit in nearly every room in the house for them. But their favourite place to sit is on our laps.
And they love to 'help' with work on the computer. I love the video on youtube that shows a house with walkways and tunnels al throughout the house for the cats & they have 9 cats of them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0...
I just had a visit from one of them. I just stop what I am doing for a minute and give her a cuddle and a pat and then she is off doing something else. They only go nuts in short bursts. So go with the flow. It doesn't last long. I bought some Hemingworth threads and discovered that the plastic wrap on them is a wonder to my kitties. My sewing bin is now emptied more frequently to prevent danger to the girls.
A growl does wonders to teach them where not to go, as does praise with a pat when they are doing the right thing.
1941Lovely kitten.Just remember he is small & can fit into places that never thought of eg behind furniture which might have electric leads.Gandalf about 6yrs old was caught chewing the iron cord while I was ironing because it was moving.He is band from the sewing room.
25212What a gorgeous baby!! I do as someone else mentioned, squirt bottle works wonders and if he doesn't see you do it to him, even better, then he equates what he is doing with the consequence....I also discovered that a couple of mine are afraid of my canned air.......all I have to do is press the trigger (not even aimed at them) and they run away....just a short spurt will do it......maybe they think I am hissing at them...LOL....good luck with your new addition......
1 comment
by Sewmum1
27 Mar 2015
Thanks that is a good suggestion with the canned air, i will give that a try, I think Hubby may have some of that in the shed.
261163Beautiful kitty cat! I think you have already read all my suggestions! Have fun!
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173695We have had our newest child for a year now and he still plays like you describe and follows us everywhere. He has gotten better with my sewing room and I keep the door open now. Yes, I do still "lose" things and find them all over the house in hiding places. We use a laser light to make him run and chase along with thick string he can't swallow. we take our outside and run so he has to run with us and chase to burn up energy. They are babies and children and need to burn off energy like a human child. He is a beauty and you can see the love in his cute face. Enjoy your baby/childhood time, they get old so fast. Congrats on your newest baby.
1 comment
by Sewmum1
27 Mar 2015
How sweet that yours still plays like a kitten. I hope this one does too. He is so very playful. A laser light sounds like a good idea. I am sure I saw one at the pet store and will grab one next time I go that way.
10990I don't have cats, but he is a sweetie! What a cute face!
1 comment
318502It is natural instinct for the kitty to want to investigate everything in his new home. I understand your concern re the sewing rm--it is a very dangerous place for a cat--they love thread and can die from swallowing (as it can strangle their organs)--we rushed to Xray a couple of times. The best advice I can give is to keep a spray bottle of water nearby--a small mist in the face will not hurt, but will teach him he is misbehaving...they don't like it at all. I've read that sticky paper on a counter or something that makes noise can be a deterrent. He will calm down eventually (in a few years-haha), but he can be an absolute joy of entertainment. Give him a soft mouse toy he can carry in his mouth..our cat loved to carry around a shoestring. This morning I woke to 4 mouse toys beside my bed! I am adapting to 2 new adoptions after losing our 14 yr old "love of my life" last Dec because the vets gave him too much anesthesia. Or something went terribly wrong. I am still grieving --that's how deep into my heart he grew. Being held is natural for a Ragdoll, and he's been snatched from his family, so he needs a bit more attn right now. He is so beautiful--I could eat him up!
1 comment
by Sewmum1
27 Mar 2015
I am so sorry for your loss of your baby. It is more difficult when it is so sudden. We lost our 20 year old cat in January after he was attacked by an unleashed dog. His injuries were not operable.
Our new kitten has been the best medicine for everyone as I am sure you understand. I had forgotten about the spray bottle trick and will definitely give that a try.
10173What a sweetie. Kittens are like small children always on the go always looking for something to do. Might not be what we want them to do but that is our problem not theirs. Tuppance our cat was like no other kitten I have had and could be found running up and down curtains and along the track at the top, she is still unique and I wouldn't swap her for anything. Must be lonely for a small kitty who has been with her family of siblings to being by themselves. Before you know it you will be on to the next stage and you will be missing the chaos and fun that is going on at the moment.
1 comment
by Sewmum1
27 Mar 2015
Climbing up the curtains I would be worried about her hurting herself. He was one of only 2 kittens and seems to be settling in well but I am sure he misses his previous family of 7 cats. He is now the only cat.
115775He is beautiful! I think you have done a great deal to make his home safe for him. Discipline is important and patience. He will eventually calm down. I know others will have much better advice than I have. But I just had to add my view of how adorable he is.
1 comment
by Sewmum1
27 Mar 2015
Thanks. So easy to avoid disciplining such a cutie but I agree it is so important. The puppies as we call them( 6 yr old littermate chihuahuas) are teaching him his position too
169064The main thing I remember about my kittens is, whoever handled them (holding, stroking, playing), he became their cat. And the more you stroke them, the more likely they will continue to knit and purr for you as an adult. Touch is everything. He looks like a real sweetie.
2 comments
by KileyMae1
26 Mar 2015
The cat I adopted in January 2014 was pregnant and I ended up with 3 surprises. Joey, Annie and Emma are very active and very mischievous. I'm still trying to correct their jumping on table, cupboards, top of frig, etc. A laser light can be fun, but do keep the light out of their eyes as it will blind them. The cats have a lot of toys and the young ones (1 yr now) enjoy the open plastic ball with a bell inside as they enjoy dropping front the top of the basement stairs to the bottom, retrieve and do it again. A wadded piece of paper seems to be what they enjoy batting around the most. I've learned to keep all doors closed if I'm not in there to supervise. Oh, BTW, I let the dog choose the cat, to ensure he was good with another cat in the house and now he's loved by 4 instead of 1 cat. LOL.
by Sewmum1
27 Mar 2015
He loves it when the kids are home, but when they are at school he is my shadow. We have not heard him purr yet
Kiley yes he loves paper balls and they are so cheap! So funny you let the dog choose. I wonder if he sensed the impending arrivals! How lovely that you kept them too
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