Kitten 911, please help!

Question

Okay I have A LOT to ask so this is going to be VERY long.

3 weeks ago, I found a kitten outside my room window on the rooftop (strange place to be). before that, i heard meowing for 5 consecutive days, so i decided to check out where it came from. after giving her milk for about 6 days (before finding out cats are lactose intolerant), i decided to take care of her. i bring her in every now and then. am not allowed to keep her yet, though. so these are the questions.

a) everytime i go into the room, she meows and purrs at me, showing a sign i should pet her. but when i carry her or try to pet her, she bites me and kicks my hands away. why is that so?? i really want her to like me!

b) once when i was carrying her, my mom came in and that took my attention away from her. she struggled and then fell from about 4ft high. her fur straightened and she looked very afraid. and every now and then, her fur would stand up. what's wrong with that??

c) how do i cut her finger nails?

d) how do i bathe her?

i'm going to bring her to the vet this sunday to get her vaccinated. should i get her spayed at the same time?

she is very aggressive and plays with everything she sees. or rather bites them. about a week ago, she bit my finger and punctured it with her teeth. it swelled for a few days but is alright now. did she bite cos she's teething or did she do it cos she was mad?

x*x

Answer 1

a) Cats who have never been socialized often have this reaction. A cat is looking at you as a caretaker and companion but when they do not interact with humans or were mistreated, their reactions can become confusing. Your kitten does want you around. The best way to handle this would to leads her in with treats so she learns it is a good thing to come closer to you. Eventually you will be able to reach out. First let your kitten smell your hand. Scenting will help her recognize you (especially if not used to humans and may be introverted). As the cat learns to trust you, you will see the fear decrease.

b) Fur standing on end indicates either surprise or fear. In this case she was afraid, especially since a- she was dropped and b- she was not used to you taking your direct attention away. Also the cat may have wanted down so she struggled.

c) When you look at a cat's nail you can see either a pink or a darker area that is smaller than the claw. This is the quick- a capillary. You do not cut anywhere near it. At all. If you do your cat can bleed. There is a useful item called quickstop and it is a clotting agent that will stop the quick from bleeding when placed at the cut. Option 2 is declawing after 6 months- many people do not like to do this. Option 3 is to file the pet's nails so they are blunted but do not hit the quick.

d) cats do bathe themselves. It is part of their grooming behavior and comforts themselves (or in my case other cats). If you do bathe her there are many sites and answers regarding how this should be done. There are also dry shampoos and sprays that you do not need to go therough a full bath for.

e) spaying does not occur until 6 months. Ask your vet when the apporiate time would be and if possible, yes, get it all over in one day.

f) The bites can be what you summarized but also it is considered play. You need to tell your cat all teething (on you) is bad through scolding, water spray, or another method. But yes, cat scratches and bites will swell.

Answer 2

a) try getting some kitty toys, you can buy them or make them..........cats love a pom pom or ball of wool, a bit of twisted paper on a string. The biting and kicking is probably just rough kitty play.

b) When you dropped her she probably just thought it was too rough kitty play and she let you know that she doesnt like this " game'

c) I just use ordinary peoples nail clippers avoiding the quick.

d) I dont bathe my cat but if you do use the correct shampoo and use one of those hose attachments, the laundry trough would probably be a good place. If you wash her regularly she will get used to it and you will have less hair around, however I dont wash my cat.

Answer 3

umm maybe if she had any owners before you and your family some body or something did something to like beat up on her too much of animal abuse

because i adopted a doggie that was beaten and if you move to fast around her she will growel and try to nip at you so we had to take her to a dog therpist so now shes a little better we have to take every friday

Answer 4

dont cut her claws and dont bath her she can bath herself yes get the deseced or she might come how with kittens and she might be biting coz she is ferel if you found her outside on her own

Answer 5

I don't know why that poster was trying to give you misinformation, you do need to  trim your cats nails from time to time.  you should do whatever it takes to convince your parents this kitten needs to be inside, it will not survive very long outside and will end up being more feral than a pet the longer it has to be out there.  you should defiantly make an appointment to have her spayed, she can be spayed if she is at least 2 pounds.

here is a video on how to trim your cats nails.  http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet/fh...

most cats/kittens will never need a bath in their lives so it really isn't necessary to put your cat through that. cats keep themselves clean.

Answer 6

1. If you want her to like you spend time with her

2. Well maybe she was just shocked

3. NEVER EVER cut a cats finger nails it is there defense NEVER!!!!! Oh and never cut their whiskers thats how they tell if they can fit through small spaces if the whiskers fit so do they!

4. She will l**k herself to clean herself like in sims you don't bathe them WHY? coz they l**k them selves

p.s. if i sounded rude I'm sorry I was just making sure you didn't cut her fingernails ♥♥♥ xoxo good luck

Answer 7

Awwww thats soo gud of u to take her in,

Kittens are very playfull and will bite and scratch, thing is ther babies and they dont reeli no whats going on, or how to act.

She will gradualy get used to u and the biting and scratching will cease.

When her fur stands on end it means she is frigtend, shes trying to scare u away.

Well u cant get her spayed the same day u do have to book in advance, as its a operation, she mite also be too young. Ask about it when u go to the vets this sunday.

U reeli dont need to bathe the kitten, they clean them seleves and she will hate u for it lol, cats aint soo keen on water lol. Also u dnt need to cut her nails.

x*x

hope this helps

x*x

Answer 8

i can't answer all your questions but i'm sure when she bit you she was not upset, kittens like to bite things, about trying to pet her, i think thats her way of playing, when i got a kitten she would roll over for me to rub her stomach, then grab my hand with her claws and start chewing on it, i kind of let her, but if its bleeding or hurts, shake her off, you're teaching her what no to do, she thinks thats playing, but if she's going to be a pet then she need to know when to not bite. it's alright that she fell, cats are very good at landing on their feet, it's instinct for them, she was probably just surprised, she'll be fine when you go to the vet ask them about trimming her nails and how to bathe her, i'm not sure the best way, we just let our cats nails grow but that may not work for your house, usually my mom gives them baths when they need it and ends up with multiple scratches so i'm really not sure what would be best as i said just ask the vet

Answer 9

You must first of all find out if she was purring or hissing and throwing her tail about. if it was the latter, then it means she does not like you. If not, then please don't try to pick her up. Give her bits of fish or any other tasty food to make friends.

A kitten will be afraid when it falls down. and the standing up of hairs is a clear sign.

Dont try to cut her nails. She needs them all throughout her life and they wont be too big.

Cats dont like water. Never ever try to put her into the bathtub or she will run away.

Best of luck