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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Life long pet free zone and I have agreed to DS having a kitten.

24 replies

SecretSquirrels · 15/10/2011 14:53

Hope I won't regret it. I don't look forward to the toilet training bit -any advice gratefully received.
DS (aged 13) is on cloud nine and has selected his kitten from the rescue centre web page.
I'm buying some bits and pieces for it. DS has seen an enclosed litter tray. Are they worth getting?
A friend has recommended a microchip activated cat flap. I know they are expensive but I don't mind if they work as it avoids the need for a collar.

OP posts:

girliefriend · 15/10/2011 15:02

Hello am sure you won't regret it! I would expect the kitten to already be litter trained by the time it gets to you, as long as you show the kitten where it is once you bring him home you shouldn't have too many problems.

I have an all enclosed litter tray as got fed up with our cat kicking litter every where! The only thing is if its got quite a high side (like mine) a young kitten might struggle to get into it! In which case I would buy a very cheap kitten tray until he/she grows a bit.

Not sure about the collar activated cat flap, not that keen on collars on cats as a rule anyway as know of a friends cat who got its front leg stuck in one and had a really bad time of it. It might be a case of waiting and seeing as you won't be letting the kitten out for a while anyhow.

The things you really need are a nice fleecy bed, a few toys, kitten food, litter tray and I think thats about it!

[hsmile]

GoodAndBluts · 15/10/2011 15:06

Oh well done! 13 is a great age for a pet.

A nice enclosed bed if you can get one. My cat loves hers which is on one of those cat stands/scratch posts.

Enclosed litter tray is a must, if nothing to keep the litter flying everywhere.

A few toys, although mine got bored of hers as she got older, she prefers running around with my hair bobbles

Enjoy!

Original poster

SecretSquirrels · 15/10/2011 15:34

DS has chosen an enclosed fleecy bed. He has printed off a life size picture of the kitten he has chosen and put it in the bed.[awww]

The microchip cat flaps are tuned in to the microchip implant that the vet can put in, so I'm told. I would have waited but we are just having a new door fitted and I thought while I have the joiner here he may as well fit it.

OP posts:

GoodAndBluts · 15/10/2011 15:52

I have never heard of a microchip cat flap, sounds fancy! My cat is tiny so can squeeze in through an opened window, no cat flap required.

What colour is the kitten? Boy or girl? Has he chosen a name for it?

Original poster

SecretSquirrels · 15/10/2011 16:40

Ginger and white and a girl. DS keeps coming up to me and saying "what do you think of xxx as a name?"
Reminds me of choosing baby names.

OP posts:

Onemorning · 16/10/2011 15:54

Great advice upthread. Kittens are the most fun ever, absolutely adorable little bundles of floof. My old boy is 17 now but I still remember him charging around as a littl'un.

alistron1 · 16/10/2011 16:35

We rescued a 4/6 week old kitten 3 weeks ago. By some miracle he was litter trained...or he's just a highly gifted kitten

Make sure you buy plenty of toys, kittens love playing. And you will quickly get used to drinking a cup of tea in the morning with a kitten hanging off your dressing gown!!!

They are lovely, my little kitten is now all cuddly and showing signs of being a big, soft lap cat.

It does take a little while to build trust, what I did was talk gently to him every time he was fed, and then I moved on to putting my hand next to him while he ate and by the end of day 2 I was able to stroke him while he ate and make him purr.

Last night I was lying on the sofa watching the news and he jumped on to me and snuggled up right by my face. Kittens are better than babies!!!

Original poster

SecretSquirrels · 16/10/2011 17:06

Ah well the kitten is for my son but I'm well aware it will be with me long after DS has flown the nest.

OP posts:

LovingChristmas · 16/10/2011 17:14

Definately go for the microchip cat flap, my cats has lost loads of collars, and all the bigger meany nasty cats bully her and sometimes come in and steal her food, when we replace the door I will be fitting a microchip cat flap!

You will end up giving your heart away to the kitten and threaten to shoot DS when he grows up and wants to take said cat with him.

Enjoy!

girliefriend · 16/10/2011 21:14

Oh another piece of advice be aware that when they first come the kitten will probably want to hide!! We left our new kitten in the kitchen while we popped out and couldn't find him when we got back - turned out he had somehow squeezed himself behind the fridge!!! He then spent a lot of time hiding under the sofa, once he had gained confidence after a couple of days he was fine and is very confident and soppy now grown!!!

DontCallMeBaby · 17/10/2011 23:01

Oh yes, hiding - I collected ours while DD was at holiday playscheme, when I brought her home in great excitement, NO KITTENS TO BE SEEN!!! Then two little furry faces peeked out from behind the desk - right in with all the computer cables that I'd sprayed with bitter apple in an attempt to ward off kitten attention.

I would consider just getting a normal catflap at first - we did this, with the intention that we would get a microchip one if we had problems with other cats. We have the odd invasion, but nothing yet that's made it worth spending the extra money on a microchip one. If we DO end up with one, the money spent on the basic one won't be wasted, as we don't intend to stay in this house forever and will refit the basic flap when we leave.

Enclosed tray is definitely good, we had a basic open one when the boys were teeny, and there was litter EVERYWHERE. Ours is jammed between a bookcase and the desk, so we can store the big bag of litter on top (can't do that with an open tray) and when things fall off the desk they don't end up IN the litter tray (ew).

Original poster

SecretSquirrels · 26/10/2011 17:28

Update.
Well the little fellow is here.
Picked him up from the rescue centre last week. he's 10 weeks old but we've had a shaky start as he's had a poorly tummy.
First he had an hour in the car in the nasty box. (He pooed in the first minute so that was a smelly trip).
Then 3 days later he went in the nasty box again to the vet. We had to wait ages next to a nasty dog. Then the nasty vet gave him an injection so he pooed on her.
After that he was quite poorly , I never envisaged sitting up half the night with a poorly kitten.
Anyway he's much better now and tearing about the house, very brave and inquisitive.
It was a bit emotional for DS, bonding with his new pet and then watching him unwell. He's been great though, very responsible.

OP posts:

suzi2 · 26/10/2011 21:41

Congratulations on your new arrival . Was going to say that kittens largely toilet train themselves. Even hand reared ones don't really need 'training'. Just an accessible tray, not too big a room so they forget where it is, and left to their own devices most of them work it out pretty y

suzi2 · 26/10/2011 21:43

hit post sorry! ...pretty young.

Worth confining him to smaller areas of the house where he can't get into too much trouble (with wires, blind cords, peeing in the plant pots) when you're not around. Kittens can get into trouble with all the same things babies/toddlers can.

4c4good · 26/10/2011 22:51

Christ you sound like my mother. And have a lot to learn!

So glad for your boy you have agreed, though.

Fluffycloudland77 · 27/10/2011 13:08

Sometimes the jabs do make them a bit ill, ours was really ill last year (I booked 4 days off for this years jabs) but he was fine this year.

You are now a cat servant in training. When you fully anticipate your cats every need and whim you make take your trainee badge off.

Original poster

SecretSquirrels · 27/10/2011 13:18

Yes it's a long time since I had crawling babies or toddlers in the house but this is very similar, except that kitten sleeps more and puts himself to bed .

OP posts:

4c4good · 27/10/2011 19:42

How is his tummy now OP?

Your DS sounds lovely btw - I can understand why he has been concerned.

ripstheirthroatoutliveupstairs · 28/10/2011 08:19

My two shittens are about 5 months old now. Both as mad as cheese, one slightly more mental than the other.
Currently, their favourite activity is climbing the clothes horse. As soon as I get it out of the cupboard, one or other climbs to the top and ambushes the other.
You'd think ambushee would learn.

Original poster

SecretSquirrels · 29/10/2011 10:32

He seems fine now thanks 4c4. The vet told us to feed him some special very bland food which we have now started to mix with proper kitten food. Fingers crossed.
He's a little poppet, lots of fun.
DS has spent most of this half term playing with the kitten, it's added a whole new dimension to his life.
Our only problems are
1)the massive pile of wires behind the tv /sat /x box, and
b) the wood burning stove in the fireplace
any suggestions other than banning him from the living room?

OP posts:

DontCallMeBaby · 30/10/2011 14:38

As I mentioned above, I sprayed bitter apple on the cable spaghetti behind the PC, to dissuade the kittens from chewing it. They liked to hide in there, but they never chewed it, so I think it worked - they were never very chewy creatures though, more scratchy. I think they gave up on hanging out behind there because it was so dusty it made them sneeze all the time. One of them tried to get in there yesterday, and he's so huge now he won't fit!

Sigh.

Stove - fireguard? I don't suppose you still have one hanging around with a 13yo (we do, and DD is 7, it may still be in the garage when she's 13 ...) We bought a sort of decorative-ish one when the cats were kittens, but now I think we should have just got the old one out, or borrowed one for a winter, I don't think they'd be daft enough to jump on the fire now. One of them had to be booted out of the way before he jumped in the oven when they were tiny, so they WERE that daft then.

Original poster

SecretSquirrels · 30/10/2011 14:58

Fireguard long gone, and it was a huge specially made one.
Will seek out "bitter apple".
Yes, I have to have someone hold the kitten when I open the oven.

OP posts:

Onemorning · 30/10/2011 17:22

Glad to hear he's doing okay, Secret. Squeee!

Fluffycloudland77 · 30/10/2011 19:55

Tinned food is mainly cereals, cats are obligate carnivores, some cats get a bad tummy off it.

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