why is there kitten overload in the spring?
is it kind of similar to bunnie overload in the shelters after easter?
(just more kittens are born in the spring?)

thanks.

i would definitely love to learn how to do this. sounds like a great idea! :D

Some people believe that cats do better in pairs of their own kind. I don't believe it to be true for all cats. Each one of our cats we got individually and none of them were ever traumatized or crazy...

I have three dogs and a cat, they are ALWAYS chasing the cat. they never really fight, just barking and chasing.


Chuckie and Candy's mamma

I was more worried about the bunnies and how an adult cat may do with them

I'm glad to have run into this post. I often cat sit my sister's 1 year old cat when she's out of town but now that we have Chanel its becoming to be a burden.

Roxie (the cat) hissed several times when Chanel got near her and I'm too scared to let them get close. Roxie has her claws.

She even hissed at me when I was holding Chanel.

I would like to be able to have both of them walk around the house but for now I have them separated, Chanel on the 1st floor and Roxie in the basement.

Is there a way to get them aquainted?

I am very old school, and believe that if let be to work out thier differences they will, given reasonable circumstances. (this being a small dog vs. adult cat). The hissing is just a warning to stay away. Yorkies are tough little rodent dogs, and it is natural to them to want to get a "closer look" lol. Cats can usually get away from a dog in the house with plenty of hidding places. If the dog gets closer than the cat wishes, the cat will darn sure let the dog know it. If let be for a while, they will come to terms with one another what ever those terms may be. I have never seen a dog of any age killed by a domestic house cat, and if the cat is an adult I would think it is big enough to give the Yorkie fair warning to stay away, or find a hiding place all her own.

i took the vet reference form to my vet today.
i also asked the vet if he thought having a cat in the family (with milu and the bunnies) would be a good idea. he seems to think it would be fine.

i was happy to read what the comments he wrote on the form :D

What is your overall opinion of the dog(s) temperament?
Favorable. Very friendly, accepting, accommodating.

Towards Cats?
No worries.

Are there any reason why you would NOT recommend placement of a cat with this client?
No.

Would you like to make a personal recommendation for this applicant?
(veterinarian's recommendations have a significant influence on our decisions)
Absolutely wonderful client. Takes exquisite care of her pets. Has my full support.

i also asked my vet about the cat's claw possibly hurting the dog's eyes.
he said that it's possible and could happen, but VERY rarely.

Remember to keep your kitty's nails trimmed! The only time I ever feel little pricks from her claws is when they've grown long & sharp enough to start curving longer than her sheath when retracted. I've trimmed my cat's nails since I got her at about 10 weeks. While she was still at the kitten stage, before she mastered the art of jumping and quit the habit of "climbing", we got a lot of destroyed leather furniture from claw tears. After a short period of discouraging her habit of climbing her daddy's leg like a tree, that stopped too, and saved his legs and pants! He thought it was cute though it started hurting him with the pricks LOL. Also with a scratching post/condo and/or carpetted door mat as we used that early on :p, my cat never scratches anything else. At the very beginning, when she'd scratch the carpeted floors and VERY early on, the door frame(s) (remember to not let them start a habit of climbing door frames even if you think they'll "grow out of it" like my brother figured with his kitten :eek:), I'd take her straight to where she SHOULD be scratching and holding her paws gently up to it and making the paw/scratching motion with it while telling her, "Scratch here~ Good girl!" and she picked up after a few corrections and has lasted her lifetime thus far even after relocating.

She'll be 9 this spring. I'm proud to say I've raised her to be a gentle kitty who plays by "kissing" (that's all mommy ever does with her, hugs & kisses) except when she's kicking her favourite ball around or tossing her little plush toys with her mouth into the air. She "bullied" my old shihtzu into giving up the best tanning spots by the glass door with the best view, etc, by "grooming" her relentlessly. My old dog would just get up and move to another sun spot to tan and nap in peace. They never played "chase" as all they did was either curl up together to sleep or my shihtzu would permit the cat to groom her. Our cat put up with our shihtzu's 3-hump greeting everytime she comes back from somewhere and grabs a hold of her to say "hi".

I had a fairly laid back adult dog before the kitten and so she's never really had anyone to play "rough" with as she's been raised as an indoor-only cat. Now, it's as rough as she's capable of responding to my yorkie's "play". When my yorkie isn't chasing her, minding her own business, chewing on a bone, etc, she'd dash pass her repeatedly to taunt her so we know she WANTS to be chased... actually, what it's becoming is, our cat LOVES the recently started bum-licking service! :eek:

It all started in the past two weeks or so while I did my usual snuggle & kisses with Pichu and smelled kitty #1 & #2 on her facial hair! I know she doesn't get to the litterbox as I'm with her always and the house is fairly quiet, and she's been taught not to enter the room where the litterbox is placed and if she does, she's usually caught long before she can reach the corner where the enclosed litterbox is (has a swinging door/lid). So I know she doesn't get to eat kitty droppings. She doesn't even eat her own. Later I witnessed her giving my cat generously LONG licks on her bottoms! And my cat leaves her tail up to make it easier access!! This is their new game! Previously, it was just annoying the cat with a series of play bites on the ear/scruff (behaviour she learned from the cat when the cat would nip her lightly ONCE on the ear to stop her relentless wrestling and play nipping). The cat also "bops" her on the head/face to stop the hyper jumping/pouncing, but never with claws out. There are times when she'd let out a yelp but jumps right back into playing. I've witnessed it multiple times before and so I don't get worried over it as it's sometimes just a yelp in anticipation of a "nip" but she's more aggressive than the cat ever was, so it's all good... though now my cat's quite a bit overweight, she can just "sit" on her and stop her if she felt so inclined, but never have used her weight to her advantage even when they're both on their hinds to out-height the other.

So anyway, I don't think it's a problem introducing a kitten to a dog/pup or other animal household. They get used to it young and learn to be the best of friends and would more than likely play at your dog's level... and I would think it'd learn to be friendly with your rabbits too. I might go with a female cat over a male one just in case. Though male cats are very very affectionate, they may put up with less in terms of dominance or hyper behaviour, etc, but not sure about males at a young age.

wow miao! thanks for the novel! lol ;)
i am just kidding. i very much enjoyed reading it!!
i was lmao reading it actually!

thanks for the advice, and i loved the story about kitty and doggies.
actually, the particular cat that i am looking at is about 4 months old. i don't know if that's a kitten or not? but the rescue seems pretty strict, and wants me to take 2 kittens at the same time. so i am not sure what i will do. i will keep you updated though. ;)

a few questoins about cats
 

do cats ears continue to grow as the cat grows or do they grow first and the body catches up later? :confused: does anyone know? just curious.

also, for dogs, they are considered a puppy till about one year of age. how about cats? when are they full grown? does anyone know of a growth & development chart for cats?

what are some of the things i should look for when looking for a cat? is it the same as looking for a dog? are there certain things to watch out for?

thank you! :D

My answers are in red

We have a 20lb cat and Sophie, who is 8lbs. The cat is older, about 14, and Sophie is 7 1/2. We were worried that Mr. Kitty would be aggressive toward Sophie when she was a little puppy, but actually, it is Sophie who is aggressive toward Mr. Kitty. He is very gentle and has never shown aggression, but Sophie "herds" Mr. Kitty and is also a tattle tale. She also attacks him if we touch him (very jealous). We also notice that they do like each other and play at times. Kitty just "puts up" with Sophie. It is a very strange relationship.:D

Also maybe keep them separate until you've checked and treated for fleas and worms. :)

I have a 7 year old adopted cat who is the "queen" of the house, and the first pet, 6 year old adopted border collie/Lab mutt, and my 4 month old yorkie. Sophie (Yorkie) chases the cat who is declawed, and at first the cat ran, then she started to stay put and wait, Sophie is about a fourth the size of my cat, and bat at her with her paws. They learn really quickly to adapt. Sophie has been in our home since Nov. 1st and she already for the most part leaves the cat alone. I would be more scared if the cat had claws though. Maybe declawing might be an option for you?

If its like our two you wont have a problem. Angel the cat is 6 and and aiden is about 1 1/2. He wants her to play so bad, but she is spayed and want nothing to do with it. She smacks at him but never with her claws out. Finally he gives up.

Oh, the kitten overload thing-- it just seems to happen that way.^^; I've done some volunteering with rescues over the years, and it always seemed as if spring and summer we would hit a "kitten season" where we were overflowing with the poor little things.

I have two cats with my dog. One of the cats-- who is significantly larger than her-- truly hates her and will go to great lengths to avoid her. The other-- who is smaller than the dog-- plays with her from time to time, but Penny usually ends up pushing things a little bit too far, and then he runs off to find somewhere to hide from her. I'd recommend letting your cat keep its claws-- a little bap on the nose with trimmed claws here and there is going to be easier on a dog than a cat bite, and sadly some cats are more likely to use their teeth when they no longer have claws. Also, I've found providing the cats with lots of high off the ground places to retreat to has helped keep the peace in the household. Cat trees, a bed on top of the fridge, an open closet with shelves they can hop up on-- they have plenty of places to hang out when the dog is just too much of a terrier for them.

Cats and Yorkies
 

My poor cat never had a life once I got my Yorkie, Rocky. She had to live her life on high places. He would be fine if I wasn't around but as soon as I came home, he tormented her. She used to watch for him in the morning to see if it was safe to jump off her perch on my dresser where she slept on top of the vcr - he would be watching and as soon as she jumped down he was right behind her. One time she even brought the TV down off the dresser trying to make it! The only time he let her sleep on the bed again was the night before I had to put her to sleep. It was almost as though he knew she was sick. So now I can't have a cat until he departs. Not fair to a cat and besides which he has one eye that bothers him so I would not take the chance. A declawed cat would be good in that regard but I don't know if she would be able to get away without the front claws to use to hang on. They were bred to chase rats so I guess it's just their natural instinct.

Erika


Erik

my application was approved!
 

i am going to meet the kitties tomorrow! :)
i wanted to bring milu to meet the cats as well, but the foster mom said it was a bad idea...
i am so excited!!!! :D:D:D