Keeping kitten out from under my wheelchair

[KittenKins]

So, does anyone have any advice? I have a 3.5 month maine coon kitten. He's only been here a week & is very close to me, & getting use to my team of carers.

I have a new electric wheelchair, I can only sit in it for short periods of 45 minutes & a few times a week. I'm hoping to increase this over time, but I'm worried about crushing the poor thing. My chair is 160kg empty, he is 2.3kg & I checked with the breeder, mum is 5.5kg, dad 10kg, so he won't be small for long.

Because my wheelchair reclines & my legs don't bend at the knee I am 1.87m long in it! I'm struggling to get around as it is. With my previous older cats I had a manual chair with more normal legs, it wasn't a problem. Yes, they went under me, but moved quick & the odd occasion a tail got caught I could quickly move off. Now my chair is a monster & my kitten small.

I'm scared of using this new chair, Phoenix isn't too bad with it, I even had him on my lap for a little ride :)

But how do I not squash him? My dad popped in & suggested putting something that rattles on the wheels to warn him, but I'm worried he would be scared of it, & thus me. The house isn't huge, so it's not like we have space for Phoenix to move around me, so I'm unsure what to do for the best?

Any suggestions welcome,

Many thanks

I think your fears are well-founded (and no, rattling wheels would be no help at all). I can't think of an answer apart from don't use the chair/return the kitten.

Sadly I agree with @thecatneuterer, it doesn't sound like the chair is safe to use around a cat.

How fast do you move in the chair?

The only thing I can think of is to try to fix brushes of some kind fore and aft of each wheel. That may be hard to do, and bring its own non-cat-related problems.

Gosh that sounds difficult. All I can think is to keep a stash of small toys (mice, foil, balls) which you can throw for your kitten to run after. I don't know how feasible it will be to do that everytime you want to move about though.

At least a Maine Coon is a good choice in terms of future size 😃

I've had another thought, could you put a collar and bell on the kitten, so that you're more likely to be aware of where he is? I know collar use isn't always popular, but it might be a good idea in this situation. Make sure it's a kitten-sized collar with a safety snap.

@GoodVibesHere

I've had another thought, could you put a collar and bell on the kitten, so that you're more likely to be aware of where he is? I know collar use isn't always popular, but it might be a good idea in this situation. Make sure it's a kitten-sized collar with a safety snap.

But the kitten might not be moving and would still get squashed. I really don't think there is an answer to this.

how fast do Maine coon kittens grow? Would it be possible for him to be fostered for a few months until the situation is safer?

Does the wheelchair make any sort of noise that the cat could learn to associate with the need to get out of the way?

Your Maine Coon kitten won't reach full size to at least two years old. I'm afraid I agree with the other posters to return the kitten for safety reasons......sorry

I disagree with the other posters op. You do not need to return your kitten. As everything with a disability you make adjustments and adapt.

A relative of mine has a similar wheelchair as well as a range of other medical equipment at home and then got two kittens. It was absolutely fine. You just have to make sure they aren’t underneath you when you move. My relative had a stash of kitten treats and toys in order to figure out where the kittens were of they couldn’t see them to ensure they didn’t run them over. If they couldn’t spot them both then my relative just didn’t move around until they appeared or a carer/family member could check if the kitten/s were just somewhere inaccessible for a nap!

This worked really well and eventually the kittens just learnt to keep away/move away when the wheelchair was moving. Although this never stopped them from hitching lap rides

There's a lot of negativity on this thread

I don't think there's any need to return the kitten at all - after all, plenty of people use wheelchairs and have cats and kittens with absolutely no issues whatsoever.

In my experience, kittens are generally pretty good at learning about dangers and staying out of the way - I honestly wouldn't worry. I've seen plenty of of grown cats sit and watch traffic before crossing the road before - if they can learn to do that, they can figure out that they need to stay away from your wheelchair! :)

However, if you are really concerned, how about carrying a laser pointer/toys/treats and making a "psst" noise to get the kittens' attention and making sure he's well away from the chair before you move?

PS. We need photos

I think you are over worrying.

I have a powerchair and last year got two kittens. No matter how fast I came into the house and down my hall, the kittens always moved out of the way.

Now they are young cats and can often be found sleeping on my wheelchair in the hall. I use crutches/sticks/wall surf around the rest of my house.

Train them to come to you when you rattle a few treats in a packet, so you can be sure they aren't under your chair. You will be fine

The thing is people's perspectives will be a product of their experiences. And, unfortunately, I've seen an awful lot of squashed kittens. Kittens aren't that good at learning about dangers and staying out of the way - if they were then we wouldn't see so many kittens squashed in the home one way or another.

Do not return the kitten! Powerchairs are just as noisy as people walking across carpet. Cats hearing is much better than ours too. I think you’ll be fine.

So are you worried he’ll be under there when you get in and you won’t see him? If you had a little mirror on a stick (in all honesty I’m envisioning something like they use to check for bombs under cars ) would that help you to see where he was before you moved off? Then you could tempt him out of harms way with a laser pen or similar toy.

I was about to suggest the mirror too. You can get neat little mirrors on a telescopic arm that you could keep handy. Or it may be possible to mount a couple of mirrors somewhere on the chair so you can see around the wheels before you take off

No wheelchairs here but a 9 year old cat determined to be trodden on, unfortunately they do not learn. I think you need to actively check the location of the cat and perhaps encourage it onto your lap when you are moving. It's the straight leg position permanent or temporary, because as I said, it won't learn

Thank you all for your replies, I'm sorry about the delay in replying, but I had a bit of a wobble reading a few replies thinking I'd done the wrong thing. The thought of returning him broke my heart, but either way I am grateful for the views of others.

To be clear, I did make the breeder (who has been doing this since the 1960s she claims) well aware of my circumstances, because it only seemed fair. I am home 24/7, with carers doing 12hour shifts & I feared this may unsettle him & because social services fund the care I don't get a huge choice in the timings of calls or the carers themselves. It seems silly typing it now but I was concerned.

The breeder said the kittens were use to her walker, which I know isn't the same, but she had previously had one placed with a little girl in a chair no problem. As the carers hoist me they are there when I'm in the chair looking out for me, opening the door etc & I have it on the slowest speed setting inside to make sure I don't crash.

Phoenix isn't stupid, but let's face it, he IS male, & a cat ;)

PerkingFaintly I go VERY slow because I'm use to the space I had in the nursing home not a house. Either way, I'd not go fast, social housing doesn't really provide the kinda space I need in real life so even with widened doorways, it's not wide enough to speed. I will ask dad to get his thinking cap on.

GoodVibesHere I have a collar for him, but I can get three finger in it right now, so he isn't using it yet. I've even added an extra loud bell. I even have one that adjusts to the weight of the cat, making it easier or harder to snap off in an emergency.

Fairylightsandwaxmelts the laser pointer isn't a bad idea, much like treats, & so far he stays well away when I move.

Worrysaboutalot, I know I'm over thinking this. Before I lived with my husband but he was arrested for domestic violence & I got moved under safeguarding. No refuge would take me so I got stuck in a nursing home & finding the "right" property for me has been a nightmare. Now it's just me (plus carers) I'm feeling the responsibility, this kitten on being fed in the lounge with my hospital bed so I can check he is eating enough but not being over fed! Stupid really but the carers are new to me too so we all all settling in together. The bowl is moving Sunday though. Thanks for sharing your own experience.

Spudlet a bomb mirror, good idea! So far he knows to stay out of the way, but anyone with a cat knows they do get under your feet sometimes.

Believe me everyone, I wouldn't do anything that I felt would risk him, thankfully my chair wheels are kinda squeaking on the flooring as the chair moves so that kind of alerts him.

Regarding the pictures, he just loves this bowl, won't leave for long so I've let him have it. & yes, I did buy him his own sofa, my hospital bed takes up the living room, so thought the lounge deserved one comfy chair ;)

Flywheel I considered something like that, can you believe you can buy a camera that mounts onto the chair for reversing. I've only seen it mentioned on the US model though & I'm not sure it would be enough. May help my driving outside though!

Gogohm, it's permanent I'm afraid, both legs but one has a little more bend, but not enough to count. I do have to bring the chair slightly off tilt & recline to get from the lounge, into the hall & I to the kitchen, but it is all one movement really, think the letter 'E' without the middle line. Like I said I go as slow as I can because when the chair arrived I crashed it at 5.4mph into the unit that held the fire hose in the nursing home, my ankle swelled up impressively! Lesson learnt.

What a beautiful cat, thank you for the photos.

The cat will learn about the chair, like they do about other hazards in the home.

As PP said just make sure you know where the cat is before moving for the first month or so.

He's absolutely gorgeous

You'll be just fine - cats are surprisingly adaptable and I really don't think there's any need to rehome him whatsoever.

If it was so dangerous to have cats etc. around wheelchairs, then you wouldn't get nursing homes or care facilities allowing animals at all, and I know plenty that allow cats and dogs.

I have a DC who uses a very large and heavy power chair and have had 2 cats over 10 years. We haven't had any accidents but it's been close on a few occasions. Our first cat was very sensible and moved away any time the wheelchair came close. Our second cat was initially scared, but now has become far too comfortable with the wheelchair, and will literally sit very close to the wheelchair with her tail behind the wheels

We now check before my DC switches on the wheelchair to see where the cat is. If you have carers, then they could do that if it is difficult for you to do. I also like the sound of the mirror! Or if the cat likes to ride on your lap then that might be a good idea as well, then at least you'll know where they are.

Aww, he is a gorgeous kitten. I think you need to keep posting pictures, as he is too lovely not to share 😁

Glad to hear that you are being well supported in your new home and hope your chair driving skills don't result in banging your ankle again...that sounds painful.

I attached cut up sections of a foam pool noodle to the sticky out bits of my chair with velcro straps. Maybe a job for one of your carers if they have a spare minute.

No help or advice (sorry 🙈) ... but cute cat 😉

I'm sure it'll be fine OP x

Wee update, Phoenix is doing just fine with my chair. He's currently six months & 4.5kg, so much easier to stop, which helps.

We had one incident, he ran after a ping pong ball as I was moving off one day & got some tail flush pulled out. I sobbed, but the carer put him back on me & he was okay. Since then he has been more careful.

Not so careful with people though, just last night he ran under the night carers feet & lost a little more fluff, daft bugger!

I admit I'm still cautious, dad's just cat proofed the garden, so I hopefully he can start exploring alone. So far he's only been allowed out in a harness, & I've had the carer do that while I watch as I can't move as freely as they can with him.

Seriously, anyone in the future reading this, don't let mobility issues concern you