Help! I have a 7 week old kitten.. Tips please.

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LindaRose
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Help! I have a 7 week old kitten.. Tips please.

Post by LindaRose »

Hello!
I got my little kitty last week and she's a dream.. Only thing is I have a very bad sleeping pattern and I won't be able to let her sleep with me!
Is it curel to keep her in the front room while I sleep? She has everything she needs in there, food /water /litter tray/kitty bed/scratch post/loads of toys. I always feed her before bed and play with her for an hour before it's my bedtime I just don't wanna seem like I'm being harsh on her but I need to sleep! I work part time also but that's not the problem. So any advice would be great! First time having a kitten. She's well.. Eats and poops good, I snuggle and play with her all day and evening when I'm not at work. Thanks!! :D
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fjm
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Re: Help! I have a 7 week old kitten.. Tips please.

Post by fjm »

Not cruel at all, but 7 weeks is very young for a kitten to leave Mum and siblings and she may need some extra comfort, especially if the room gets cold at night - perhaps a pet safe heat pad, or similar. It sounds as if she has you wrapped around her tiny paw already and is living a lovely life. As she is so very young I would start some very gentle behaviour training, to substitute for the lessons she would have learned from her Mum. Very simple rule - reward what you like with what she likes (games, treats, cuddles), ignore and walk away from what you don't like. No punishment, just the fun stopping if the clawing gets too frenzied, for example.
LindaRose
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Re: Help! I have a 7 week old kitten.. Tips please.

Post by LindaRose »

I know I got her too young but she seems fine when I get up at 7am and feed her.. I pop the heating on at night and she has a pet bed like a hut? It's soft and warm with a blanket in it. I just feel so mean leaving her in that room but she only meows for a bit and I can hear her playing.
My family check on her while I'm at work through the evening and she seems happy. Thank you for the advice I just feel so mean leaving her in the room over night. If she meows for me during the night is it best to ignore her? I mean she doesn't need anything cause I make sure she has everything she needs! She has lots of comfort and okay time all day and evening right up untill my bed time.
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fjm
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Re: Help! I have a 7 week old kitten.. Tips please.

Post by fjm »

Frankly, it sounds as if she is living in the lap of luxury! I have always let mine sleep with me when they want to, but that is my preference. They tend to come and go through the night, which could be disturbing for a light sleeper, and the 3am arrival of a cold wet cat complaining vociferously about the weather outside wakes even me up! I think it is a good thing for a cat to learn how to amuse themselves and to sleep alone, and it sounds as if she gets lots of company and play all through the day. The only question is whether her brief yowls and your guilty feelings are keeping you awake more than having her in the room with you would - after all, you need your sleep in order to earn a living and keep her in the style to which she is becoming accustomed.
LindaRose
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Re: Help! I have a 7 week old kitten.. Tips please.

Post by LindaRose »

I think it's in my head not being able to sleep! I just think it was harsh leaving her but in all honesty she has a big play pen in the front room haha. She seems happy as anything. Thank you for the advice. 😊
ilovecats9922
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Re: Help! I have a 7 week old kitten.. Tips please.

Post by ilovecats9922 »

She will gradually adjust to her sleep surroundings as time goes on. I know it seems harsh but cats are very resilient :D
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Mollycat
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Re: Help! I have a 7 week old kitten.. Tips please.

Post by Mollycat »

There are advantages to a younger than recommended kitten. We used to rehome kittens at 6 weeks, barely weaned. Now recommendations have changed, but anyway you have your kitten at 7 weeks and that's that - now you can take full advantage of that situation.

At 3 months a kitten is much more independent already and learning for itself, although it would stay with mum for another several months and still have much to learn from her. But at 7 weeks they are just programmed to learn everything they can from mum, and as mum's gone and you are there, you can step straight into her role.

You'll find it much easier to teach your kitten about dangers, hazards and boundaries, for example. Learning from a new mum with a mum-kitten bond, she will accept boundaries much more easily than she will at 3-4 months - it's evolution, it's how cats have survived this long as a species. If they don't do as mum tells them at 2 months they will most likely die, but at 3-4 months they might get away with more and learn nothing. It's a bit like adopting a child at 6 months old versus adopting a 10 year old, it's not the same development stage, personality develops and it can be much harder when they are older.

My last kitten, 32 years ago, was 6 and a half weeks. In a matter of days I had taught her not to play with the flex of the iron and to keep away from the road, lessons that remained all her life without any more question. We had an incredibly close bond even through the 10 years after I moved out of my parents' home and before I could have her back. She would take walks with me, no harness and lead just the two of us exploring together. She learned that a quiet simple No replaced her mother's sharp Mwek, so there was never a drama about it. Before 3 months she was already a perfectly behaved young lady, able to ask for anything she wanted very clearly, sociable, fun, safe, and never destructive. We never had a scratching post but only one chair copped it which we allowed and the poor pear tree outside. She was easy to catch and load for the vets and well behaved there too, though playful.

Just those few early weeks are crucial, and you get to teach her your way in your home and not copy all her mum's bad habits or get away with things you don't like even if her mother's owners thought it was ok. It's not ideal, but it does give you a fantastic opportunity.

A warm snug bed, heat pad, teddy with a heartbeat if you can still find such a thing, and whatever she does IGNORE her until morning or else respond immediately. Whatever you do, DO NOT try and sit out the crying and then give in, she will learn that if she keeps on you will eventually give in and then you will never have any peace at all.
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