I have been looking at old threads here and it's been really helpful, but still have a couple of questions. Firstly, am I meant to put newspaper down under the cat litter or just sprinkle the cat litter straight into the litter tray? Am not sure what newspaper will achieve, but have this odd feeling I should! 
The other thing I'm troubled about is that we are bringing the kitten back in the car with us and it will be a four-hour journey. I have borrowed a cat carrier and bought some Feliway to spray in it. Am just looking out old fleeces and towels to make it snuggly. What I'm worried about is what to do about food, water and the kitten's need to wee/poo. It is toilet trained already (it's 14 weeks' old), but will it just do that in the carrier if it needs to? Could I bring the litter tray and offer that or is that a mad idea? I do have an absorbant disposable mat to place under the towels in case of sickness or anything else.
And I don't know what to do about food because some advice says don't feed your cat before a journey in case it makes it travel sick. But surely it's cruel not to offer the kitten some food on the journey? I will obviously be offering water anyway.
Also, a friend told me to bring ear plugs for the journey because the cat might be noisy. It's a Balinese (like a Siamese). I have visions of a four-hour journey from hell, with yowling travel-sick kitten and two wailing, travel-sick children.
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The litter tray
Another novice cat owner here. Getting new kitten on Sunday. Advice please!
ToffeeWhirl · 19/04/2013 14:20
OK, then I will allow the nibbling for the moment (it's definitely not biting) and if it ever hurts I'll stop it.
Am allowing scratching on our laundry bin because we don't think it will harm the bin. Apart from that, he is only allowed to scratch on his scratch box and he seems to have learned that pretty quickly.
He hasn't been on the kitchen surfaces so far (at least, not when we're with him), and I've been careful to clear them of food before I go to bed.
I don't know what to train him in, apart from not going in our bedroom . He's perfect as he is. 
Of course he is.
The laundry bin sounds fine. It's one thing, moveable, and not too expensive - and they have to have a place to scratch.
I have very few rules - as above. The most important is 'no kitchen surfaces' which is worth starting the minute you see it in his face. (You can train them on a 'bad thought' as well as a 'bad action' so you don't have to wait until he's actually up there: you'll see the determined look and the pre-jump crouch as soon as he's a little bit bigger and wants to explore.)
Interestingly, the 'no kitchen surfaces' seems to translate in a Siamese mind into 'no important surfaces' - except that I can't work out what the common denominator is. Certainly, learning the surfaces rule means that he'll likely avoid certain other surfaces in the house of his own volition. Beats me.
A firm NO, a firm lift down, and - if he does it again immediately or is obstreporous, put him outside the sitting room door (or in some way exclude him from your presence) for 20 minutes. And repeat....... except that with a Siamese type cat, you shouldn't have to keep repeating especially if you have to use the ultimate sanction. (Exclusion from the presence.)
Just be careful to watch your tone of voice and make sure to use the 'Mummy means business' rather than the 'Who's Mummy's Darling Little Miscreant, then?'. As I said, they don't mind a few rules but you have to be firm and consistent.
In my experience, they rarely have 'accidents' if they're healthy - there's usually a reason for it. I'd guess, like you, that he was nervous and caught short but didn't want to go downstairs to his tray because of the stranger in the house. The best solution is to put his/another litter tray upstairs (or at least put one there if you have visitors) and let him go upstairs whenever he wants. I wouldn't show him to people if he doesn't want to of his own accord - that will just make him more anxious.
There's an issue here for your future thought. My experience with Siamese is that they're quite fanatically sociable and loving with their own people but that they can be darned anti-social with others outside the family group. This may be something you have to come to terms with - and he may grow up more sociable in the long term. I've always let the cat make the running when it comes to interacting with others. I have to say that with my Siamese boys, they've rarely taken the offer up.
No point to my mind in chastising him for the accident. He knows he went in the wrong place and he shouldn't want to repeat it. Just be sure to clean the duvet properly of course.
Poor boy. The moment I gave him to DS1's friend to cuddle, I could see that he didn't like it 
. Oh well, I have learned a lesson. That's a very good idea about putting a litter tray upstairs as well. I could put one in DS1's bedroom, then if he ever sleeps with DS1 he'll have a litter tray there too.
I have a couple of friends bringing their children to see him next week, so I'll have to be very careful about that and make sure I hold him, rather than handing him to them. I suppose the best thing would be for me to hold him whilst the children stroke him.
I'm glad I did the right thing in not chastising him. It did remind me very much of dealing with accidents in young children, where they know they've done it wrong and the last thing you need to do is make it worse by scolding them. I do praise and stroke Snowy every time he uses the litter tray, so I hope I'm reinforcing his good habits.
The duvet has had a good rinse and is going in the washing machine as soon as I get the last wash out. And I am keeping quiet about what has happened, so DS2 doesn't find out!
Thanks for your ongoing advice, cozi. It's very reassuring to have someone to ask when I'm new to all this.
Oh goodness - you're pretty well doing it by yourself by applying common sense. It's a great asset.
Thanks. I think I have transferable skills from having been through the toddler years with my DC. The kitten is easy compared with that!
He's had his bedtime cuddles and is now sleeping in his box, with his hot-water bottle.
You're welcome
Thankfully I've never [yet ] had to deal with rogue poos/wees although blond!kitten does still sometimes forget about going IN the tray not just in the general vicinity of it. (Where he was litter-trained there was not really enough space so he got the impression you just go in a certain area not so much in The Special Box. Every now & then he forgets about Going In The Box but as we've paper down it's not the end of the world. But I digress.) cozietoesie has said it all, really: she is v wise. I tend to envision her dispensing wisdom from the palace of her Siamese cats, with them dictating (possibly in more ways than one) their views on things to her.
While Snowy was upset/stressed by this afternoon you now know how you'll deal with visitors in future & he'll not've suffered any lasting hurt.
On the sleeping front, mine would like to be allowed to sleep in with me. They don't get to because I would never sleep & would be a big dislocated (& extra!unbreathy) mess in the morning. They've learned they don't get to come in until my alarm's gone & I've opened the door in the morning; and these days they sleep in with my brother which they consider preferable to their own beds but as soon as they hear me stir they're up & away to serenade me outside my door. He knows his place 
Luckily, there haven't been any more 'rogue poos', so I hope that was a one-off. I ordered an extra litter tray from Ocado today and I'll put it in DS1's room, so that kitty always has another place to go.
I like your vision of Cozie living in a palace of Siamese cats, Zebra 
.
Good to hear that your sleeping routines work so well. Our kitty seems perfectly happy sleeping in his box with a hot-water bottle and often retreats back to the box if things get too noisy during the day.
He spent most of today sunning himself in front of the French windows in DS2's bedroom. At one point, he was stretched out on his back, with his fluffy belly soaking up the sunshine . When DS2 came home from school, kitty crept under the bed, where he feels safer. DS2 still shows no interest in him and kitty is quite afraid of him.
Still can't get used to calling him Snowy. I know it's good that the DC named him, but someone commented on what an unoriginal name it was today and it upset me. I know it's not a very original name, but I thought it was best to let the children choose. Wish people would keep their thoughts to themselves.
It's a great name - and one that the children chose. Cats have their private names and while it might suit one very well to be called 'Atahualpa' or something, there are plenty who are best suited to 'Fred'. My very first cat had a pedigree name which would break your tongue but was always called a 'Fred' equivalent. (In those days they often gave the kittens a pedigree name right away - I don't know if your boy has one.)
Pay no attention to them.
Well a palace seems fitting. In my head cozie has a throne not a computer chair, too
It's good for kitties to have somewhere(s) safe to retreat to. Mine adore tiny dark spaces to squirl up in (another legacy of their life before me, I fear) & black!cat has recently started trying to hide in the dresser with the crockery, which almost resulted in my brother's untimely death from fright when he went to get a plate...
Am sure ToffeeKitten will settle with a wee bit more time & being allowed to determine the pace of interaction with his humans. Mutual disinterest between DS2 & kitty possibly quite positive: lets them come to each other gradually-incrementally
How very rude of commenty!person. Do they have children? If so I think you're now allowed to make snarky comments about their names... Snowy is what my Brownies call me & as such is a splendid name. Yes. Is there another name you're happer calling him? My brother never uses the cats' full names whilst I call them the full thing or the shortened version or a lengthening of the shortening or sometimes just random things like Sir Squooshalot (blond!cat) or Lord Squooshington (black!cat) or Little Liger (blond!cat) or Squigglepuss (black!cat). They don't seem to mind the alternation of appellations...
Thank you both for your nice remarks. You have cheered me up. The person in question has form for saying bitchy things. She has pets with very silly names, incidentally! She always names them after her favourite literary authors, so I suppose she thinks that's clever and we are being very dull.
Cozie - my kitten also has a very long pedigree name. I had hoped it would give us a clue to our name for him, but it was no help at all.
I recently found this poem about naming cats by TS Eliot. I love the idea that cats have their own private name that we don't even know.
That's a great poem, isn't it?
And as to the name - well. You could hardly go around the house yelling 'Butterfly's First Light of Morning' (or whatever it is) - come and get your tuna!'
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