A week ago I became the ecstatic recipient of the birthday gift of Spook, a nine-week old kitten. My mother thought I needed the company. I adore Spook, she's wonderful, I was planning on adopting a cat. However, I've not actually had a kitten before. My previous cat was an adult ex-stray, so it was more a food-shelter-and-vet-bills arrangement.
As a result, I have some questions about the care and training of Spook.
She seems to have litter-trained herself with very little fuss, and is eating well five times a day. She has proved very responsive to training not to bite or scratch, even in play, and we are making progress on the not sniffing my food, don't walk on the laptop, and coming when called fronts. Any suggestions as to what other training I should begin to institute?
Is there anything I can do about the 3am play-sessions? I wouldn't mind, except that I'm her favorite toy. I let her sleep on my bed, and when she decides it's playtime, she will dance on me, attack me through the duvet, pull my hair, burrow under the duvet to investigate my toes (Spook has a sincere attachment to my feet), and generally be a pest. Other times, a firm 'no', a gentle tap on the nose, or putting her away from me and ignoring her for a few minutes have been sufficient negative reinforcement. But at night, she climbs right back on the bed and continues playing. The obvious solution is to shut her out, which in my flat means shutting her in the kitchen. I have tried this, she cried inconsolably for 15mins until I gave in (she doesn't usually meow, just makes chirping sounds), and when I let her out she was shaking, and cuddled up to me purring, which made me feel really cruel. This despite the fact that her bed, food-dishes, litter-tray and toys were all in there with her.
What kitten-toys will she like? She ignored everything I bought her, except the ping-pong ball, in favour of a piece of paper on a string, a feather duster, and anything she can get tangled in or tip over. The feather boa, bells, mice, assorted balls, and dangly plush tiger on elastic were obviously a waste of money. Any suggestions as to what 9-10 week kittens really like?
Why does she lick me? Spook settles in for a cuddle, starts purring, then starts licking my arm, or chin, why does she do this?
How often should I do a full litter change? It clumps, and I spot clean every time she uses the tray (very stinky kitten).
When is it okay to start giving her treats, like canned tuna? Kipling used to go nuts over it, but I'm worried it might not be a good thing for a kitten.
Why does she want to eat fruit? When I have a bowl of fresh fruit, if I leave it where she can reach it, she will nibble at any leftovers, and lap up any juice in the bowl. Is this bad for her? I've been stopping her, just in case, but I just caught her raiding my wastepaper bin for a peach-stone. I could understand if it was butter or something, but it's peaches! I thought she was supposted to be a carnivore.
Spook also has a slight grooming problem. She seems to understand the theory, but in practice, most of her washing efforts are devoted to her tail and hind paws, I assume due to ease of access. Other than brushing her, is there anything I can do to assist her grooming? She's fairly fluffy.
Finally, any suggestions on how I can stop her answering the telephone? She hates it ringing, and has figured out that if she knocks it over, or pulls it off the table by its cord, the noise stops.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Many thanks,
Mallory, the OCD owner of Spook the Avenger, Slayer of Telephones.
