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SarahW · 07-08-2008, 05:08 PM

Hi everyone!

I'm going to be getting my first kitten on August 3rd, and I've been preparing myself for his arrival with lots of reading, trying to inform myself. I joined this forum to gain a little bit of wisdom and advice. There is still a lot of information I have yet to find for some reason!

Okay, so:

A.) My kitten is a boy. He's going to be neutered and fully recovered before he joins me in my home. My first concern is, my boyfriend keeps warning me that if he sprays, the smell is terrible, impossible to get rid of, and the new carpeting that I was promised to get wouldn't come if he sprays. Will a neutered cat spray, and what are the odds that my kitten might? If he does spray, what can I do to prevent it?

B.) I want to use CitiKitty to train my new kitten to use the toilet. I want to do this because my dog is notorious for grabbing a "chocolate nougats" from my roomie's cats' literbox. If the poopie is going into the toilet she can't get at it! I would also gander that it would smell a lot better. Should I start CitiKitty training him right away, or should I raise him with a normal litter pan for a while? Is trying to attempt human potty training a little too advanced for a first time kitten owner?

C.) I've had a hard time finding resources that show or tell you how to train a kitty to use a scratching post or a scratching device. How do you teach a kitten right away what his acceptable scratching surface is? Do ragdolls have a particular trend with what kind of scratch surfaces work well, and what doesn't? (Like.... would getting a tall cat tree be necessary, or would some of those floor scratchers would cardboard inserts be equally as good and less torturing on my pocketbook?)

I'll probably have more questions later, but these are the ones I have at the front of my mind. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom!

Chrysee · 07-08-2008, 06:53 PM

I'm no expert, but

A) As far as I've ever heard, neutering will eliminate spraying, so that shouldn't be a problem
B) Your kitten will have been litter trained already, so I would say you could start right away. Ragdolls are pretty smart, and lots of people have had success with this sort of training
C) I would ask your breeder. Most breeders state their kittens will be trained to use a scratching post by the time they are old enough to be adopted. Offer your kitten something similar to what the breeder uses. Mine used various sisal posts, but she also provided the cats with Turbo Scratchers (she gave me one when I adopted). I bought a nice tall sisal post, but my kitten ignored it for some time because he was already familiar with Turbo Scratchers and used that exclusively for a while. Also, you should get your kitten in the habit of having his claws trimmed. Breeders sometimes make this a practice already, so he should be fairly accepting of it. I was able to trim my boy's claws within the first few days of having him home, since the breeder had been making them familiar with it since they were 5 weeks old

JanH · 07-08-2008, 07:20 PM

A. Relatively few neutered cats spray and usually they do so because they are sick or because a whole cat is spraying where they can smell it. Urine odor is a challenge, but there are enzymatic cleaners that will work.

B. The kitten will arrive litter trained and you should not change the style of box nor the kind of litter for some time - until the kitten is well settled. A single kittens should start with 2 boxes. It is likely only one will be necessary, but a few like to urinate in one and defecate in another. Also, make sure there is a box nearby always, particularly by the bed at night. Kittens do not have the control of an adult cat and may figure out too late he needs to head for the litterbox. You do not want to add stress to the stress of the move. The same goes for not changing food for a while.

C. Kittens also naturally like scratching posts. A tall post that they can reach up to scratch is needed. Cats like to stretch and scratch. Turbo scratchers are also favorites. Some like inclined ones. For materials, sisal seems to be preferred, but many like carpet. At least have what he is used to, but there cannot be too many scratching alternatives. If he starts to scratch where you do not want. Take him to the tall post and hold him against it until he grabs and starts to climb. This will force him to use his claws on what you want when you know he wants to scratch. Keep the claws blunt by clipping off the very tip once a week or so. Not doing that is a major reason cats scratch where you do not want, since scratching is to shed the sheath on the claw (as well as some scent marking).

milo's mum · 07-08-2008, 07:23 PM

Hi sarah

A. I'm not an expert but my experience has been that none of my neutered male cats have sprayed. I have always made a point of having them done earlier rather than later and this also seems to help - I believe that some older male cats who have already started spraying will continue to do so after neutering. Hopefully because your boy will already be done you wont experience this problem.

B. Litter training to use the human toilet is fantastic my boy Milo is completely trained and it is wonderful _ I used the LitterKwitter system if you are looking for help they also have there own website and forum like this one for advice. The product works is three stages we have a thread on this forum (cats using the human toilet) you might like to look at . you are most welcome to ask me any questions that you like. I certainly recommend it , money saved and time saved is huge.

C. Re the sratching post you will probably find your baby is already used to using one, I know my breeder gave a small one included in a kitten pack when our baby came home. however it is not hard to encourage your little one to use them, on the odd occassion Milo will have a quick scratch on the couch and if receives a firm no I either pick him up and place him on the cat tower or squirt him with a water bottle and he normally runs straight to his tower and looks at me as if to say sorry mum.

Best of luck hope to hear more from you have you a name yet for your fur baby?

Familytimerags · 07-08-2008, 08:16 PM

I have nothing to add, except congratulations!!. You have been given wonderful advice.

I have 3 adoptive families that have successfully toilet trained their kitten. They did so slowly and would go back a step, if the kitten seemed to need the extra time to figure out the toilet training. Positive reinforcement, such as praise and treats will go a long ways. Smile

We look forward to photos of your new baby when he arrives, does he have a name yet?

Purrs,
Stormi

JanH · 07-08-2008, 08:41 PM

Does your boyfriend not want the kitten? One should not get a pet unless everyone in the household is committed to it, since a pet requires some degree of attention and care from everybody in the household. For example, everyone must make sure the Ragdoll is not let out, is provided a safe environment and has food, water and clean litter. In addition, a cat in a stressful environment, which includes one where some do not want him, is at risk for health and behavioral problems.

SarahW · 07-08-2008, 09:36 PM

Wow thanks for the great advice everyone!! That really puts me at ease.

My boyfriend (AJ) had cats growing up, but he had unaltered cats and his family was one of the people that willingly contributed to the cat overpopulation problem by letting their cats out to breed freely. I think because he doesn't have much experience with altered cats, he assumes all of them spray. I am not sure. I told him what you guys said and he still thinks there's a chance that he'll spray. Hopefully when he comes home there won't be a problem and I can say "told you so!" LOL.

I posted a picture of him in my "hello" thread but here's another picture of him Smile

http://www.raymondragdolls.com/DSC00009.JPG

He's a blue lynx bicolor I think is what he's called...

I've started to purchase supplies for my kitty already. I opted to buy some toys, treats, and a litter pan already. I haven't yet bought litter or food or a scratch post. I am going to enlist AJ's help in constructing a cat tree for him to use, hopefully I'll have it for him before he comes home. I asked my breeder about scratch training in the home, and I don't think she'd started with him yet. I intend to ask again though.

As for his name.... I'm leaning toward "Yuki". I'm having a hard time deciding actually Sad

AJ and I don't live together technically. We live in a duplex and his stepdad is the owner of the property and AJ acts as my landlord. He lives upstairs in a 1 bedroom, and I live downstairs with my roommate Ashley in a 2 bedroom. So kitty will be downstairs with me and will be my responsibility. The reason that the carpet was an issue is because of course the property is his stepdad's and they are trying to sell this house, so they didn't want to have any additional problems selling it like if my kitty were to put stinky spray all over.

JanH · 07-08-2008, 09:49 PM

As any breeder will tell you, it is very different to have to deal with whole cats. Whole male cats usually spray and whole females often spray when in heat. The experience for an indoor only speutered cat without whole cats around is the opposite. Spraying is not common and litterbox problems are most often the sign of illness - and correct when the illness is over.

Cats teach themselves to use scratching posts and pads. One just has to make them available. It is like litterbox "training." There is almost never any training to it.

milo's mum · 07-09-2008, 02:47 AM

Hi again I like the name does it have a special meaning, love the picture he looks wonderful.
if you are considering the toilet training I would wait until he is about 14- 15 weeks old and is settled in his routine at home.

Another thing is to put the kitty litter tray in the bathroom where you propose for him to use the toilet later that means that there is very little change for him. He will be used to going into the bathroom to toilet and used to the sites and sounds in there including things like the toilet being flushed.

When you are ready to start let us know and I will help guide you. patience is the key and a slow pace .

best regards

BlueSkyRagdolls · 07-09-2008, 05:01 AM

SarahW Wrote:Wow thanks for the great advice everyone!! That really puts me at ease.

My boyfriend (AJ) had cats growing up, but he had unaltered cats and his family was one of the people that willingly contributed to the cat overpopulation problem by letting their cats out to breed freely. I think because he doesn't have much experience with altered cats, he assumes all of them spray. I am not sure. I told him what you guys said and he still thinks there's a chance that he'll spray. Hopefully when he comes home there won't be a problem and I can say "told you so!" LOL.

I posted a picture of him in my "hello" thread but here's another picture of him

http://www.raymondragdolls.com/DSC00009.JPG

He's a blue lynx bicolor I think is what he's called...

I've started to purchase supplies for my kitty already. I opted to buy some toys, treats, and a litter pan already. I haven't yet bought litter or food or a scratch post. I am going to enlist AJ's help in constructing a cat tree for him to use, hopefully I'll have it for him before he comes home. I asked my breeder about scratch training in the home, and I don't think she'd started with him yet. I intend to ask again though.

As for his name.... I'm leaning toward "Yuki". I'm having a hard time deciding actually

AJ and I don't live together technically. We live in a duplex and his stepdad is the owner of the property and AJ acts as my landlord. He lives upstairs in a 1 bedroom, and I live downstairs with my roommate Ashley in a 2 bedroom. So kitty will be downstairs with me and will be my responsibility. The reason that the carpet was an issue is because of course the property is his stepdad's and they are trying to sell this house, so they didn't want to have any additional problems selling it like if my kitty were to put stinky spray all over.

A couple of things Smile

Spraying is USUALLY reserved for whole male cats. They do it for territorial reasons and to attract a mate (god only knows how a female cat would find cat spray attractive lol!). Neutered males, especially ones neutered at a young age, usually dont. Most people have the misconception that ALL male cats spray, no matter if they're neutered or not. I've never had a neutered male that has sprayed. Mind you, its only my own experience. Smile

Another thing, I LOVE the name Yuki!!! I used to watch a cartoon where one of the main characters was named Yuki... he was cool!

Also, you've got the same initials as my sister-in-law, your boyfriend's name is the same as my son's (AJ), and I was best friends with a girl named Ashley for years in highschool... WOW!! Big Grin

I'm in awe at how small this world really is!