New kitten, older car & special needs children!

[snarf]

Thats excellent news that Beau has taken Merlin in line! it might help Beaus nerves too when he realises that merlins getting affection from lots of nice people and nothing bad is happening  one of mine always lets the other approach strangers first and then decides whether he'll bother on how nice theyve been 

Do you think it is possible to train my almost 6 year old Siamese as well? (he wears a collar at all times btw).

i dont see why not, its always easier when theyre younger i think but siamese are intelligent and enjoy learning and he trusts and loves you so its certainly possible. As long as hes not distressed or frightened it can be enriching and they love going to new places for walks
Beau might enjoy clicker training anyway, and it sounds like something John and Cody could do with him to encourage bonding - 2 cat buddies are better than 1  ive not tried it myself but im sure theres a few people on purrs that have and speak highly of it

[Tintail]

Thank you gals for your replies!!
*MERLIN* (that's his final name lol) is settling in nicely!! Beau is PLAYING with him!!! They seem to have hit it off!! Of course when the kitten gets too rough he gets a swat on the head (no claws extrended though) by Beau which is awesome because I've rescued and brought up a large number of kittens in my days and I know how crucial that "swat"/training from mom is. I've had many kittens turn into schizophrenic bitters because as youngsters their mom wasn't there to teach them NO... Beau is training him nicely I didn't expect these two to get along because Beau is NOT the social kind (it was only him and me when he was very young so he is NOT used to other animals or people at all). He is timid in general but seems to have gotten some of his youthful behavior back with Merlin lol.

Anyway YES I am a huuuuuuuge fan of neutering EARLY (so they don't start spraying) so at around 5-6 months he will get fixed

Snarf thank you for your time. Your post is very helpful!!!
Do you think it is possible to train my almost 6 year old Siamese as well? (he wears a collar at all times btw).
I will start training Merlin with a collar in about 2 weeks because all my cats always wear collars with IDs on them (plus the microchip of course).
I am sure the boys would love to be able to walk their cat once he is older (and it will be a nice exercise for John who has CP).
If you think of anything else let me know
THANK YOU AGAIN!!!
Tina

[snarf]

i can only comment on the harness but ive harness trained both of mine- you will need a proper harness as opposed to a lead and collar  (like this http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_carriers_travel/harnesses/19639 )
i went the same way as you would a collar, putting it on and taking it off, leaving it on for longer and longer each time and distracting them with treats/toys/cuddles (whatever they like most) while theyre wearing it. the first few times id literally put it on and then take it off straight away- it needs to be a pleasant experience if possible- neutral at absolute worst. dont let him be distressed or frightened. start with just the body harness first, once comfortable with that try attaching the lead, again short time at first. then get them used to leading you around the home- you and they need to be used to how the harness works before you go outside.
one of mine is a treasure on the harness- purrs when he sees it (even though he now goes out without it) and got the limited distance idea quickly, he knew that if there was pressure in the lead i wasnt going to alow him to do whatever it was he had planned and that he couldnt jump or pounce too far. my other cat, was fine wearing the harness and lead but she couldnt shake the idea that if she just suddenly sprinted off she could surprise that thing attached to her and it would let her go...que comedy 'boing' moment... but she is not a very bright cat at all with the memory of a goldfish *sigh*
although hes to young to go outside yet, i see no reason not to start training him on a harness at 4- 5 months ish inside only though.
In regards to making him a friendly cat, his personality will have the most say in this is think but the books suggest socialising him with other people (nice people for positive experiences) Deffinitely neuter as early as your vet reccomends. the main thing is the kitten associating John with comfort, security and pleasure- Can John feed him treats? Or maybe John can talk to the kitten when the kitten is eating (to associate Johns voice with the pleasant activity of eating) im no expert but thats what id try if it was me 

[Fire Fox]

The only thing I can suggest is to try some clicker training with the kitten when he is a little older. Your boys should be able to join in with this I would have thought, there are loads of 'how to' videos on YouTube.

[Tintail]

Hi Julie and thanks for writing
I've put up pics of the cats in the Newbie introduction forum... pics of my boys can be found here: http://smilepleasephotography.blogspot.com

I will post more pics I promise as I am a budding photographer so I am clicking away half the day anyway

Well, Beau played a little with the kitten today on his own so I am taking this as a positive step lol

I've worked in animal rescue for years before getting pregnant with my sons so I made sure the kitten got KRM and he can drink from a bowl as we've discovered... I feed him every 3 hrs (even at night) and we follow a schedule of feed/toilet/play/nap in his carrier... first in the carrier he is safe from Beau and also he can rest comfortably and I want him to get used to traveling like Beau has.
So far his stools have been normal, no sight of worms or diarrhea and we are careful about not overfeeding him. He sure has energy lol.

In terms of playing, I squeal when he bites me and turn away like a sibling would do. If he gets too rough I put him down and stop playing until he calms down.
I also offer toys so he won't see my hands as such

I know he is too young for a leash and in Greece it is not at all customary for cats to be left outside like it is in the UK so he won't actually go outside on his own. Anyone know how it is done when the time is right?

Is there anything I can do to help him develop a friendly and cuddly nature?
Beau was always alone with me when he was growing up so he didn't get much interaction with strangers and as a result he is wary of them (this includes the kids). I would love for this little mite ot grow up cuddlier and friendlier
How can I help that? So far he is very friendly and fearless around the kids and plays with them well
Once he is older I would love for him to sleep with them, especially with John as this is something that will greatly help him
Obviously now he is too tiny to be left anywhere alone with the boys (or out of his carrier to roam the house without supervision)
Any tips that would help are greatly appreciated
Thank you for your help!!
Tina

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Hi, Tina! 

Well done for saving the little one. 

Have to say I don't envy you. Got your hands full there!  Siamese are well known for being very attached to their owners. That's not to say your puss won't adapt but you do need to have that in your mind.  Imagine someone plonked a strange human toddler in your livingroom and gave no indication as to when they are coming back to collect him? Think you'd be cursing and spitting under your breath too!  Puss will adapt in time I am sure, but the protests may go on for a bit longer. 

Kitten is too young to be away from mum - as you probably will know - and will miss a lot of education that mum would have given. We find that sometimes kittens in this position can grow up to not understand boundaries. I think you'll find several threads here on that subject. You have already indicated kitten is heading this way in your description. This behaviour is perfectly normal in all kittens but YOU need to take mum's place and teach kitten this is not what nice puss cats do. It's important that when kitten steps out of line, you scoop him/her up and remove them from the situation. Maybe even to another room. Obviously you can't belt him round the ear the way mum would have done but you can exclude him/her from the family for a few minutes. Don't let him back until the situation is forgotten and kitten has calmed down.

I would also suggest you look very carefully at nutrition. This is something a vet will help you with as well. Kitten should still be having milk from mum so you need to replace those vital nutrients. Mostly people do that by specialist milk bought from the vet. Something like Cimicat will do the trick.  He's had a poor start in life so some effort is needed to redress the balance.

As to how you can encourage kitten to be a 'therapy cat'... well, this will either happen naturally or it won't. Better people than us have tried to train cats to do things and most have ended up in straight jackets.  Walking on leashes... don't think you need to worry about that yet. He's way too young to go outside. Certainly not til after he's been neutered at 6 months.  When the time comes, again he will either do it or not and if he won't there's no way to change that. 

All in all, think of a kitten just as you would a child. Be calm, encouraging, show leadership and be gentle and they flourish. Be rough, man handle them, shout at them and they grow up timid and scared adults. 


Good luck.... pictures are always welcomed! 

[Tintail]

Alright so I made my introduction to the newbie forum so you can read a little bit about us there but here is the real reason I joined a cat forum in the first place...
You see, we have an almost 6 year old Siamese boy who has been a great pet for an adult but doesn't really interact at all with my 4 1/2 year old twins.
Both my little guys have special needs: Cody has ADHD and John suffered brain damage in utero and as a result he has mild CP (which makes his movement jerky and probably flamboyant to the eyes of a kitten), ADHD, vision and neurological issues but no mental retardation whatsoever. In his soul he is more like a two year old sometimes.
Their conditions are well managed with therapy (two years and counting now) and they both attend regular pre-school.

I've been wanting a pet for them forever and ideally we would get a dog suited for kids, but we live in a teeny tiny apartment and between all the therapies and my work, I simply wouldn't do any dog any justice.
So two days ago, a kitten literally landed on our laps. As we were getting out of the car, we were "greeted" by two stray dogs playing tug of war with a tiny kitten. We took the kitten home and after a visit to the vet we want to keep him.

So here are my questions: My older cat, what am I going to do with him? Will he ever enjoy and play with the kitten (later cat) or will we have hissing and spatting forever?
I took the required steps to make sure Beau knows he is not behind dethroned, I lavished more attention to him, got the kitten his own personal everything so Beau won't share and today we've had less hissing (and no spatting) from Beau and he seems more relaxed. He's been following the kitten around but still hisses if he gets too close. He took a couple of sniffs of the newcomer as well (I didn't force the issue).
Is all that promising? What else can I do?

Now, the kitten is quite playfull and boisterous. He really like to bite and claw at me but I try not to allow him to see hands and fingers as toys. Later on I also plan on using Soft Paws like I do with my older cat (I am SO against declawing, I would never do that and Soft Paws were a God sent ever since I got Beau home 6 years ago).
He looks like he really likes the kids and will play all over them, nuzzle them etc.
Is this an indicator of his disposition? I really need to raise a mellow but playful and SOCIAL cat who will love kids and want to be their companion. How can I achieve that?
It's been a while since I got Beau but I don't remember Beau ever having so much energy!! Will the kitty calm down or will he always be a whirlwind?

What steps can I take to ensure he becomes sort of a "therapy cat" for my special needs children, especially John who is more in need of a pet's positive influence in his life? For now he is scaring the kitten with his jerky movements and I find myself saying "no" to John all the time while trying to explain how to handle such a small animal. Although he is really clever, he gets excited and seems to think the kitten is a toy rather than a live thing (I do not allow them time alone with the kitten and I am always supervising play and explaining the kitten's reactions to the kids so they will know when he is scared and wants to be left alone so they in turn learn to respect the animal and his needs). Cody has been doing great, he is generally a mature child who is very tender and soft with animals so my main concern is integrating the kitten with John. I hope amongst the almost 3000 members there are a few with cats and special needs kids.

And no, there are no "therapy places" or trainers where I am, I live in Greece...
And last question and I am sorry if it is a ridiculous one but is it possible to teach a cat to walk with a leash and if yes, how?
BTW the kitten is 6 weeks old

Thank you SO much for your time!!
Have a great day!
Tina