Advice for indoor kitteh

MaryDublin

Hi All,

I recently got a kitten, well she's about 5 months old, and until I get her neutered (about March) i've to keep her in doors which is fair enough. Problem is I think she's bored off her nut. I have toys for her and play with her each day and she's such a sweet little thing it's killing me that she can't go out.

So I was wondering about maybe getting her a harness and lead and bringing her out the back for a bit each day so she can have a bit of fresh air and a run...what do you think? If anyone else has any ideas i'd love to hear them.

Cheers.

Tallon

I did the same with my first two guys (Sonic & Tails)

I don't know if it's harmful, but they were out quite a bit with me.

I just made sure they never interacted with any other animals.

MaryDublin

Nah Tallon, I doubt it was harmful for them unless they weren't vaccinated. I just don't want her getting up the duff and the kittens ending up in the DSPCA.

I found her as a stray and surrendered her to them thinking my flatemate didn't want pets but he said it was ok so I got her back 2 months later. Would hate them to end up in that situation bless em so i'm really paranoid about her getting jumped lol.

So you think a lead etc would be ok?

MsFifers

I wouldn't worry too much - she probably just sleeps while you are out and then is full of beans when you are around. I tried the lead & harness thing with my cats but they couldn't get used to it so had to give up.

Can she look out windows? When I lived in an apartment, my cats used to sit on the windowsills looking at the world going by & that kept them occupied when I wasn't around to play.

Tallon

Sorry, I read that as vaccinated.

Yeah, should be fine if your with here the whole time. She can even play with them if your watching them

MaryDublin

Thanks MsFifers. Yeah we have windows she can look out of but, and maybe i'm just over analysing her here and she's just being a kitten, she tends to attack the bin resulting in contents being all over the floor when I get home and also likes to kill the clothes horses! She's a bit mental is the flubber.

Another worry is that she is blind in one eye and her vision in the other one seems a tad dodgy and so even when she's neutered i'm hesitant to let her out. Poor lil kitteh.

Heroditas

Get a second kitty so she can play with it!
Go on! You know it makes sense.

MaryDublin

Ha ha Heroditas, i'd love to but flatemate would beat me with a shovel if I did. I aspire to be a crazy cat lady but it'll have to wait.

Kenevil

Don't worry about the distruction lol I've 2 kittens and my clothes horse is attacked on a regular basis one of them gets hyper 20 times a day and runs crazy around the house like a mad man!!! why don't you get her a climbing tree with dangly bits I think Argos has one for about 40 they get hours of entertainment from them

rokossovsky

Kenevil wrote: »

Don't worry about the distruction lol I've 2 kittens and my clothes horse is attacked on a regular basis one of them gets hyper 20 times a day and runs crazy around the house like a mad man!!! why don't you get her a climbing tree with dangly bits I think Argos has one for about 40 they get hours of entertainment from them

Even simpler, hang a few ribbons, toys, scrunched up news paper bits, laces from the frame of a chair so that they hang low enough for the kitten to reach when he lies on his back. Hours of fun and no cost.
Wrt harness. You have to get cats used to a harness as young as possible. Anything over a few months - forget it. Very common to see French cats out for a walk with their owners on a leash so it is acheivable.

MaryDublin

Thanks Kenevil. I have a scratching post/tree thigy for her and a few other toys.
Ah I am probably worrying over nothing, just a tad protective of her due to her history......how sad am I?!!!!! lol

Tallon

Nothing wrong with caring or being worried

Kenevil

It's only natural to worry I let my two out very rarely and worry about them every second they are out!

boomerang

I foster cats and have had no problem getting them used to the harness. You just have to remember that it's not like taking a dog for a walk - you go where the cat wants to go.

OP your kitty sounds like a typical kitty nut, don't worry, the madness is perfectly normal. There is a great toy that you could get her though, it's called the Da Bird - you'll find it on ebay. It's great for tuckering out kittens that need to stay indoors. Basically a bird-like toy on a very long string on the end of a pole. The way it's designed, the toy whirrs and moves like a real bird.

The little laser toys you can get on Zooplus are fab too - kittens will follow that little red spot endlessly around the room while you sit on the couch

MaryDublin

Ah cheers Boomerang. Sounds good. Shall have a look when I get paid

Hopefully she'll wreak herself out, stop waking me at bloody 5.30-6am and won't turn into a face eating psycho kitteh!

Zapperzy

rokossovsky wrote: »

Even simpler, hang a few ribbons, toys, scrunched up news paper bits, laces from the frame of a chair so that they hang low enough for the kitten to reach when he lies on his back. Hours of fun and no cost.
Wrt harness. You have to get cats used to a harness as young as possible. Anything over a few months - forget it. Very common to see French cats out for a walk with their owners on a leash so it is acheivable.

Not nessesarily, mine was about 1.5 - 2 years old when I started her. But don't expect her to follow you, I just follow her, maybe when their very young they might learn to follow you but I find you can get a cat of any age to get used to a harness once you have some patience and realistic expectations!

Here's another thread with some good training tips: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056137465

MaryDublin

TBH i'd never expect her to follow me....she is a cat after all and we all know how they are LOL.

Cool, I shall try the harness etc. She got used to the collar very quickly so i'd say she wouldn't be too bad and the out doors would distract her from it maybe.

Thanks guys for the great response.

Heroditas

MaryDublin wrote: »

Ha ha Heroditas, i'd love to but flatemate would beat me with a shovel if I did. I aspire to be a crazy cat lady but it'll have to wait.

Get rid of the flatmate!
Use the shovel if necessary.

planetX

You could get her neutered now, she's old enough.
I never kept a cat in until they were neutered. Always have them done at 6 months, no problems.

nearly

Try lots of different kinds of toys, but rotate then and keep out of sight when not in use.

I notice our cats seem to get an urge to hunt. Playing with them for a short time a few times a day helps. String or ribbon toys are the best. Pretend to be prey, don't bop her in the face, try and sneak away or run down the hall.

Many things can be fun.

They love tin foil balls. Sure you might throw out tune foil after baking. Let her bat it around for a while.

Cardboard boxes are great. Leave them open and let her explore it. Later on, turn it on it's side.

Do you have stairs? Throw a bouncy ball to the top and she'll run after it.

Also our cats seem to love when we re arrange the furniture. It's like a whole new place for them. Try it for a few hours if you're going out, then fix it when you're home.

Agreed laser toy is amazing!! We over did it though and they became bored. Hid it for a few months and it was awesome again. Hence the hide and rotate rule.

Wet floors and string toys are soo funny. Whoosh. For some reason they love it, eyes go wild!

Next thing we plan to do is build a shelf high up so they have a cat walk. They can get to the top of shelves now. Do you have things she can climb?