Tips For Scared Kitten?

For all your feline miscellany - any interesting stories, news or subjects that do not fit in the other sections.
Post Reply
strawbearymacarons
Frequent Cat Chatter
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:43 pm

Tips For Scared Kitten?

Post by strawbearymacarons »

Basically i took in a stray kitten but ive never had a cat before. She is 9 weeks now and adjusting pretty well. Everyday she seems to be more and more confident and less things scare her but she is still a pretty timid kitten. Two things i'd like to do with her is 1) get her used to baths and 2) introduce her to our calmer, smaller dog so id love tips and advice on how to go about this.

ive had her for two full weeks now and she's had to get 3 baths in that time. one when we first found her which she handled very well. and two because she had diarrhea from parasites which is all cleared up now. for the second two baths there was no reason to do her head so i only washed the parts that were dirty. i tried to use wipes to prevent having to out her in the tub again but sometimes it just wasnt enough. in the tub for these two baths she was obviously not a fan. the first time she meowed the whole time the second she tried to crawl out and clung to the side and looked miserable. so basically now that our tummy situation is sorted out and we no longer need baths so frequently how often should i be bathing her to get her adjusted to baths and is there anything i can do to make bath time more of a fun experience for her?

when it comes to introducing her to the dogs. we have two dogs. the dog that i raised is about 45 lbs, no prey drive at all, very calm, listens to commands, quiet, and has experience with a variety of small animals (ferrets, hedgehogs, hamsters, rabbits, lizards, etc.) but never a cat. my boyfriends dog is a border collie lab mix and he is quite noisy, and excitable, we are working on our commands and doing well but i wouldnt trust him around something small. i dont think he would intentionally hurt them based on his reactions when he is near the rabbit and ferret but i do think he would jump around bc he is excited and he's 60lbs and could accidentally kill them. my plan was to introduce the kitten to the smaller dog and hopefully that would teach her dogs arent so scary so she would be more comfortable when she is bigger and can meet the bigger dog. if that's wrong though please correct me. id also love tips on how to introduce the kitten and smaller dog successfully. im not worried about the dogs reaction to the kitten but the kitten is very skittish. they have seen each other through the doorway(the kitten was on the opposite side of the room from the doorway so they have never been actually near each other). the first time the kitten saw the dog she hissed. but everytime after that she sits straight up, puffs her tail a hit, and watches her closely. im pretty nervous about introducing them without advice. i definitely dont want to mess up and have a traumatized kitten or a maimed dog. im also wondering if its too soon? ive only had her two weeks perhaps it would be best to give her more time to adjust to her new home before she meets the rest of the gang? please let me know your thoughts
User avatar
fjm
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 1675
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:11 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: North West England

Re: Tips For Scared Kitten?

Post by fjm »

As a general rule cats don't need baths - mostly they keep themselves clean, and any mess is best removed with a damp cloth rather than submersion, so I don't think you need to worry about getting her used to bathing - just don't bath her!

To introduce the dog and kitten I would have the dog on a lead and well controlled, with plenty of the dog's favourite treats to hand. Play Look at That, rewarding the dog for being calm and ignoring the kitten, and let the kitten approach when and as she feels confident enough to do so. Never let the dog chase her if you can possibly avoid it, and make sure she always has a safe escape route and high places that she can watch from while feeling safe. Supervise all interactions until you can be absolutely certain neither is going to get hurt.

I think you are wise to keep your kitten separated from the bouncier, less trustworthy dog for now. Once she has learned to stand her ground around dogs she will be less likely to trigger the chase instinct, but that may take some time. When you do introduce them again make sure the dog is well controlled, reward the dog for ignoring the cat, and let the cat choose when and how to approach. One bad scare could set her back many weeks, so take it slowly and stay in control.
strawbearymacarons
Frequent Cat Chatter
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:43 pm

Re: Tips For Scared Kitten?

Post by strawbearymacarons »

i definitely didnt want to bathe her 3 times in two weeks but things got too messy that just wiping her down wasnt going to cut it :/
then my thought process was that if i can get her to understand baths arent that scary when she's little then when she's older if for some reason she did need a bath it wouldnt be as traumatic but if this is untrue then hey that's actually easier for me lol.

my girl dog is great bc she doesnt chase at all. i call anything smaller than her "babies" so she knows to be nice to babies and not get in their space. she just sits at my side and lets them come to her. she even maintains a calm composure with ferrets which is quite impressive bc they certainly dont respect personal space and calm is not in their vocabulary. my boy dog however...completely different story.....

but the kitten is a scaredy cat. so should i let her adjust to her surroundings more before trying to introduce or should i go for it so she has animal friend she can be around? and if i do try to introduce them if the kitten is reacting fearfully like hissing or puffing up her fur should i remove the dog entirely or just keep her near me til the kitten calms down and comes to check her out?
User avatar
Mollycat
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 2705
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2019 10:58 am
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: UK

Re: Tips For Scared Kitten?

Post by Mollycat »

Can I just say I have so much respect for you and want to help any way I can, just because you try to think of everything and ask and research and just everything about your attitude with animals is so lovely and perfect, this kitten is in the best possible hands.

Simple question - how did you introduce rabbit and ferret to the dogs?

I've never bathed a cat in my life, they are absolutely self-cleaning unless they are long-haired or show cats or there is a good reason. My gentle fluffy Ragdoll who was used to being "show groomed" protested enough when I had to clean up his bottom and I wouldn't have tried giving him a bath. That is one huge advantage of cats over dogs!
strawbearymacarons wrote: Wed Aug 25, 2021 9:35 pm but the kitten is a scaredy cat. so should i let her adjust to her surroundings more before trying to introduce or should i go for it so she has animal friend she can be around? and if i do try to introduce them if the kitten is reacting fearfully like hissing or puffing up her fur should i remove the dog entirely or just keep her near me til the kitten calms down and comes to check her out?
Cats are naturally cautious animals and hissing and puffing up are very normal when exploring and meeting new friends. If you keep the dog near you and kitten has the option to stay put, run away or come forward, she might do quite a bit of back and forth and hissing and friendly tail-ups but overall her curiosity should get the better of her eventually. If your dog is sensitive to moods and generally calm as you say, I would expect her to be curious about kitten and want to sniff but also to lie down and put her head down which the kitten will recognise as non-threatening, and so build up her confidence. Cats do a lot of exploring with whiskers and paws, nose too but they are less reliant on their nose than a dog is and they are usually less daft than a puppy.

Introductions one step at a time, nice and slow and let everyone be comfortable with each step for a while before moving to the next step. I haven't been through this so not the best for advice, but if you're not used to cats it's important to read the kitten. Their language is so different to dogs, often the opposite, some things the same. Hissing is a warning and it comes from fear, it's not aggression, it commands respect as your gentle dog will no doubt demonstrate if she hasn't already. Don't panic about hissing, it's a normal part of introductions. It should reduce, and hopefully start to be followed by a friendly arched back with tail high and waving and possible a delicate tiptoe turn. You might find the kitten confusing because her state of mind might change several times in a few seconds as emotions flit across - Mac the Cougar demonstrates this point best, turn him up to make sure you can hear the purr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAUpL62 ... gCatRescue and that's how quickly different thoughts and emotions are changing without any input from anyone else.

You-tube can be a huge help for recognising normal, positive and undesirable negative body language from kitten when she meets the others. A search for something like "dog meets kitten" or "great dane kitten" makes for a great morning's entertainment and hopefully reassurance about things kittens do that can be baffling if you're not used to kittens. Here's a lovely one - see how the kitten hisses in the first few days though and note the turn away and tail flick up, that's good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAJGnHf ... xyDreaming - and see how interacting positively with the dog builds up the kitten's confidence. And now I must leave cute kittens and dogs and go do something with my day!
strawbearymacarons
Frequent Cat Chatter
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:43 pm

Re: Tips For Scared Kitten?

Post by strawbearymacarons »

i am honestly so relieved i dont have to bathe her. i was like "how am i supposed to do this without her hating me at some point" im happy forums like this exist where i can ask questions directly to cat owners bc the internet is so full of misinformation. and i love that this forum is active so i get responses very quickly i really appreciate it.

and thank you for all the advice on introductions ill definitely be watching those videos with my morning coffee lol

when i introduced the dog and rabbit it was actually easy because even though he's just a little holland lop he has absolutely no fear. its fascinating. basically i just kept her by my side and let the rabbit come to her. he seemed to be pretty comfortable with her so i let her go in to sniff and theyve been buddies ever since. usually she just watches him hop around and he likes to hop over her. the other dog has met the rabbit through baby gates but i just dont trust that he wont accidentally step on him so they cant officially meet.
User avatar
fjm
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 1675
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:11 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: North West England

Re: Tips For Scared Kitten?

Post by fjm »

I think if you introduce the kitten to your dog in the same way as the rabbit you won't go far wrong - sounds to me as if you already know exactly how to manage things!
strawbearymacarons
Frequent Cat Chatter
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:43 pm

Re: Tips For Scared Kitten?

Post by strawbearymacarons »

i just wanted to make sure i was going to do it right. as long as i know that im approaching the situation in the right way then i can be confident and things will go much smoother yknow? and that's only for the easy dog. all the detailed advice will be extra great when it comes time for the other dog.
Post Reply