Am home. Later than expected, but hey-ho.
So, having a think about Lorenzo and Andre (aren't they fabulous! - couldnt see their piccie at work for some odd reason)
I have had the kittens for 1 week and 3 days, I have not had them kitten checked yet, this is on the agenda for next week - I wanted to give them a couple of weeks to settle - I hav spoken to the vet who has agreed that this is a good idea.
We did that too - they got a health check, but because ours were aruond 7 weeks old, Vet suggested we gave them a couple of weeks to settle in before subjecting them to anything more. It just helps to rule anything out which may be causing one (or both) of them to pee inappropriately. From the sounds of it, they sound full of beans, so will be surprised if there is any medical basis for the issue.yes they have done this from the outset - we introduced a (tiny) water spray last night - when they went in the direction of behind the tv - we gave a little squirt to the ground - seems to do the trick.
Interesting. That seems to be more indicative of the fact they're trying to scent mark their territory, and given that we now know you have a house full of love (and that means haminals of all descriptions) that would make sense. In that case, I'd also give the Pet Remedy Plug Ins a try - it might pay you to have a few of these - we used one upstairs and one downstairs, so in the room the gurlies were in to begin with, and one in the living room where Moray, our adult cat, spent most time. This had the beneficial effect of soothing both of them, and making the place smell friendlier, rather than "different." because a cat's sense of smell is so much more developed than ours, this can really help. We also used the Pet remedy spray on our clothes and hands, and you can even rub it over a cat's coat and face, as it's perfectly safe to use. Feliway is something similar, but we didn't find it was as good as the Pet Remedy, which all of our cats seemed to prefer. If you also try the Zylkene in their food, that should have a calming effect. they interact brilliantly with us, they love to play
It sounds like it too, and that's great, because you can distract them with play. The other good thing is that if you see them going to wee or poo somewhere you dont want them too, you can pick them up and take them to one of the litter trays, just as you've been doing For behind the television, you could try putting down scrunched up swathes of tin foil, as generally cats don't like to wee on it (although there are always exceptions.... What can you tell us about where they came from, and what (if anything) they were used to there in terms of litter tray arrangements?
they came from a friend of my daughter, they were 2 of a litter of 3, they were litter trained when I got them though thats where my knowledge of it started and stopped - I wouldn't have thought much care would have been given as my daughters friend has two toddlers and is heavily pregnant with her 3rd
Probably true alas, but the fact they were using the trays when you got them is a good sign, and shows they're inherently used to seeking out an appropriate place to wee/poo. Presumably you'll have been able to check what kind of litter she was using, particularly as you've swapped out some of the litter for different brands yourself. What sort of trays do you have - are they open or closed? Where do you position the trays, and what sort of litter do you have in them? Can you describe the tray they favour the most - where it is, what's in it?
we have a selection, 2 open and one closed (but with the door off until they get used to it) they use them all equally, there doesn't seem to be a preference, there is one (the largest) in the room where they are during the day and then we have 2 in the lounge at night when they are downstairs with us - its a large room so we put one at either end.
Good idea to maybe put the three in their room during the day when they dont have any company, again keeping them away from the food and water, but if the room's not big enough to accommodate that arrangement, don't worry too much. The fact they'll use open and closed trays is good. To try and prevent them peeing on the bed, place really small bowls of food treats (a couple of teaspoons in each bowl) about the bed - top to bottom. You might want to put a throw or cover on the bed for the time being. I have tried several litters - a silica based one, felight & breeders celect - this is the one we have settled on and I can thoroughly recommend it
How long are the kittens left alone during the day, and where do they have access to?
I probably should explain this better, they have a large spare bedroom during the day - - I work 200 yards from home so I go home at lunch time and spend time with them / feed and sort the litter tray, my mother-in-law lives with us (yes I am a saint!!!) and she spends time with them mid morning and mid afternoon, in the evening, the kittys and all of the paraphernalia that they have come down stairs with us until bedtime - in the room they have tons of toys and a multi level activity center that they love, their food, water and litter tray - which is nowhere near the food etc.. this is a temporary arrangement, they really are small and we have a dog - who loves the kittens - they actually like her too but until they are too little to be able to jump out of her way if she started to annoy them, our house is quite big and again - they are so little, it would be very daunting for them t this early stage (this is IMO) - they are given the run of the house in the evenings when we are there to supervise - with the exception of the stairs and landing - we have a gallaried landing and we have already had one "incident"
Very sensible. It's always a good idea to keep new additions in their own restricted space until they've had time to settle in. Some cats are fine with having a big ole house to explore - others, especially if they're not very confident, or have been living feral/semi feral - get freaked out by big spaces - they can't defend the whole house from (as yet) unknown "threats" and so they get stressed. It's possible your boys can smell your other family members, which will be quite strange to them for the time being. they need time to assimilate those new scents, and in time they'll come to see them as part of their extended family, and perfectly normal. That might happen quickly, or it may take more time, and it's best to proceed at the cats' pace, even if it takes longer than you initially anticipate. You can also try scent swapping with the boys and Missy - rubbing a soft blanket or towel over Missy and taking it into the room with you when you go in, but at this stage I'd remove it after a little while - let them be able to get a good sniff of Missy's scent without leaving it in there permanently, which may stress them a bit at this stage.
We have one 3 year old cat, called Moray. He was something of a surprise - a tabby and white NFC lookeelikee, rescued from a flat where he'd been left abandoned with his sister when their substance dependent owner did a moonlight flit. He's gorgeous = beautiful eyes, massive hairy paws and a wonderfully laid back nature. We also have two semi feral girls, Malt and Barley, we got from the same rescue at this time last year, shortly after the death of our other cat on the roads. Malt is a shorthair white and tabby, and the shyest of the two. Barley is a tabby, like Paula's Pirate, and a bit more outgoing by nature than her sister.
The girls were abandoned in a cardboard box in a woman's garden in a very busy (and less than ideal) environment. They were around 7 weeks old, tiny, petrified and fully armed with effective weaponry. They were two little velociraptors. They were certainly an education. Long story short (cos it has been a long story) they're now beautiful 1 year old cats. Both still rather flighty and nervous, but now accepting of affection gestures, and capable of more than a few of their own. They've become an absolute delight to us, and have integrated well with Moray and with our visitor cats who come to see us from over the road. We're still learning all sorts of things about them, and having to find ways of dealing with their foibles (we can't get them back to the vet - they're wise to it now. Vaccinations are due in December, and alas, we will be shredded to boogery because we still can't pick our Malt up) but they've been worth all of the roller-coaster ride we've had to date, bless their paws, and I hope your boys will be too in time.
Oh, yes, and as we're on about it - I'm in me early 50's. Bit rough about the edges these days. No kids. Two stepchildren, 4 grandkids and great grandies too, most of whom now live abroad in sunnier climes (with cats and stuff of their own .
Right. Off to think about something to eat. Or maybe to order some wine online as I'm told Tesco have some offers on at the moment......