Oh, Behave!

In the comments section, Amanda Cox wrote:

How do they behave? I've found training older kittens (ie stopping them climbing curtains and getting on kitchen surfaces etc) very difficult, I'm going to see an older Tonk kitten at the weekend (way more than 13 weeks) and I only hope its not been allowed to run riot!
We got Dom from a home where all the cats were allowed to do what they liked because some rooms they were simply locked out of, but we dont lock or shut rooms so Dom has to learn boundaries. But its hard work. He even got into the fridge today and wouldn't get out!

And I thought it would be a good subject for today's post! *sniggers at thought of stroppy cat refusing to come out of the fridge* (Hope you had a good weekend visit AC, how did it go?)

Well, I must admit that at the moment, the kittens en masse can seem pretty overwhelming (less so now the boys have gone) As I open the kitten room-the living room- door of a morning, they pour out like a tidal wave, meowing their little heads off for breakfast.  And letting them into the kitchen has become awkward now because keeping an eye on all seven (five now) whilst cooking or whatever is positively dangerous. Even when I'm just getting their dinner plated up they can and do jump onto the work surfaces and if I let them in I am continually chasing them off. Apart from the safety issue, it simply isn't practical. So I leave kitchen behaviour in the main to the new owners who will only have one or two to deal with!

They aren't generally allowed into the bedrooms, as this is not only my older cats' space but they might be going to a home where the family doesn't want bedroom access. However they are occasionally allowed in, one by one, for some time spent learning how to meet and interact with strange cats. I discovered, accidentally, with this litter that Ava doesn't mind meeting and greeting the kittens as long as its in the bedroom- her territory I guess. If she meets a kitten in the hall she's horrified! Poor Ava!

Here's Kurt last week, actually, he's just touched noses with both Ava and Sofia, and now he's sitting at the far end of the bed keeping a respectful distance!

*glare*

Ava glares at the kitten from the security of her cardboard box!

The bathroom- well they are allowed in when I am in there. Again its a safety thing, after Marta jumped in the toilet one day I've really cracked down on that. All my cats enjoy visiting me in the bathroom though, and the kittens are no exception, they like to prowl along the side of the bath as I am washing, and fortunately no-one has fallen in yet!

This isn't to say they aren't taught boundaries- they are. Gretl's penchant for curtain climbing was heavily discouraged, for example- I've not seen her do that for weeks now. Freddie used to bite (not hard) almost constantly, and now he's just an occasional nibbler. And ALL the kittens know that if I clap my hands loudly together I jolly well mean business!

For me the trick is lots of one on one time with each of them, which as you can imagine is incredibly time consuming. Julia over at Rameses (read the website, so informative) says that a breeder should really spend half an hour PER KITTEN PER DAY as a minimum, and I reckon she's spot on there. That's a lot of time you have to spend socialising. Ok, some of it can be combined with other things- stroking and talking to a snoozing kitten on your lap whilst watching CSI of an evening is something I love to do lol- but a lot of it is time you have to specifically find to play with and interact with the kittens.

Of course it's a journey isn't it- I start the (hopefully) good work, the new family will continue that to fit in with their particular needs as a family (bedroom access etc) and fingers crossed by adulthood one has a well rounded adult cat! Of course Tonks are intelligent, which can make them mischevous, and that's part of their charm. And they are highly social, which can make them needy, which can make them misbehave when they aren't getting that attention and that's not so charming but that's Tonks for you. And all kittens have a toddler phase ( at the breeder's) and an adolescent, bratty, test the boundaries phase (at around 6 months, and again neutering on time plays a BIG part in keeping this in check) so when it's time, don't delay!

Any good breeder will tell you the same though- raising kittens well is hard work!

Ouch!

Looks so innocent doesn't she? Not so much. The other day, Marta got so carried away playing with a toy dolphin that she pounced on my foot and bit it. Hard. Hard enough to draw blood! Yes, quiet, shy Marta!

It came as a total shock to me as I was sitting at my desk, I think I rose about two foot into the air and I may have let a few choice words escape my mouth too... and poor Marta dashed away in fright. Guilt! So I then had to cuddle and kiss her and tell her I wasn't shouting at her, just- well- shouting. Of course, being a cat, she wouldn't understand this but it made me feel better!

And then I had to sort out my bleeding toe.

Anyway, when playing with a new kitten, it's best not to encourage biting- type games. (I don't, but I'm just saying this is why!) Whilst most bites are mere tickles, even a small cat is capable of giving a pretty powerful nom and you don't want to encourage pouncing on toes unexpectedly. Cat saliva can carry some nasties as well, especially if your cat goes outside, and if they get into a wound it can turn a bit unpleasant.

Today, I am wearing my slippers... lol!

Chew Chew

Kensey has been a baaaaaad boy this week it seems, having chewed his way through the wires of a clock and a clock radio. So I thought a blog entry was in order, in case anyone else was having issues.

Kittens lose their kitten teeth and get their adult ones somewhere between 3 and 6 months, so if your kitten suddenly becomes very chewy or bitey, this is probably why. It's a phase, they all go through it, but it can be rather annoying if they decide to chew on things that they shouldn't.

For some reason, chewing on wool gives the gums a bit of relief, but this habit is hard to break once established. Tonkinese are notorious wool chewers. Indie doesn't, but my Birman Theo does and he is a complete pain in the butt about it too, having chewed up both my new jumpers already this year. It's like an addiction with him, nothing is safe, not even in a drawer or wardrobe. So avoid letting your kitty pick up this habit if you can help it. I literally can't have anything wooly in the house because Theo will shred it within days.

You can buy chewy toys for kittens if their teeth are bothering them. Corrugated cardboard boxes also seem to be satisfying to chew on (and hide in, and jump on) Indigo still likes a box to chomp on even now! You might also find your kitty favours the dry food for a while, the crunchiness is soothing to the gums.

Obviously, if your kitten decides to chew on wires, this is an issue you will need to address because one, it's blooming annoying when you keep having to repair appliances, and two, more importantly,it's dangerous. Your kitten could get an electric shock,  or a frayed, chewed wire could shock you or start a fire. So it's worth addressing this as soon as the behaviour starts! You can buy cable protectors that enclose all wires, and I'm sure I read somewhere you can get these impregnated with citrus which is really offputting to cats. You can also get bitter apple spray- apply this to your cables- power off, just in case!!-  it tastes and smells absolutely FOUL to kitties... they soon get the message. I've got some of this and it works a treat!