h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry about that weird semi-double-posting. I was typing, and all of a sudden was back at my PS. Somehow it must have posted- must've hit a weird button on the keyboard...

At least I didn't touch that button

Maybe I was channelling you?

You must have powerful

My mother says she has tried a very "natural" parenting style - ignore the children until they annoy you too much and then yell

Try wearing gloves? We had so many wild barn kittens, but got most of them tamed simply through letting them be near us, but not paying them any attention until they came near, on friendly terms.

Yeah, I'd thought the ignoring approach would be best. You'd think that esepcially if she just wants to play, ignoring her would get the point across. She refuses to be ignored.

I'll be trying to actively ignore her this weekend. And I'll keep trying to use the hissing air can to discourage her from things rather than picking her up- that way she won't feel a need to nip defensively, or get confused and think I'm playing with her. I may also try "time outs", though the only place I can put her is in the bathroom and she manages to get up to all kinds of no good in there, too.

While wearing gloves will indeed protect my hands (though I'd need a hockey mask to stop her biting my face, which is her preferred method of attack when I'm sleeping or sitting down), but the biting still needs to stop so she won't grow into an adult cat who bites everyone.

She tried sucking on my thumbs and the sleeves of my sweatshirt, and one of our blankets, too. I'm trying to eoncourage her to suck her toys instead. Does anyone thing a baby bottle or a teething ring meant for human babies might help?

I'm asking all of you because if there is *any* way I can make this work, I want to, but K and I are nearing the ends of our tethers. Especially as these bites that break the skin trigger my asthma- I have my health to worry about as well as kitten attitude.

Well, the biting and scratching is part of normal kitty horseplay - their siblings have thick fur coats where it doesn't matter. Maybe try making it a game - give her something she *is* allowed to savage - a fuzzy sock you drag around or something - to let her play out that impulse, and teach her not to bite *you* at the same time.

She's obviously been taken away from her mother too soon, and that means she's missing some socialisation, but also looking for haptic substitutes. Try things like giving her a vigorous rubbing with a thick towel - she just might like it - and make sure there are a variety of things she can explore with her mouth, too.

So far we've given her (in addition to access to Herman's toy basket, which has at least four dozen different fuzzy balls, mice, etc, many of which make some sort of noise) Herman's old tunnel with the pompoms inside, the carpeted scratching ring, her own scratching post, my old Chucks with the laces undone so she can climb inside as well as chew, sHerman's big (as big as he is- bigger than she) catnip mouse with the rattle in its tail and the sisal on its back (9for scratching), and a fuzzy mouse on a spring that can be swatted like a punching bag. I'll see what else I can think of. Oh, and we do let her play with loo rolls and bits of crumpled paper before throwing them in the recycling. I even gave her a length of my knitting yarn to play with while I was knitting (or trying to knit) on Sunday.

Since she likes sucking, and when she sucks my thumbs she wraps her little paws around them and uses both tongue and teeth, I assume she still wants to nurse at times. Does anyone think it would be helpful or comforting at all for her if I gave her water from a baby bottle sometimes? The previous owners bottle fed her after they took her from her mother and she wasn't on solid food yet. Poor little thing.

I guess I must have extra small feet because I can't imagine trying to stuff a kitten down there, let alone a full grown kitteh. In hindsight I realise that this is probably a good thing.

She probably does need something to suck on - like sucking a thumb, for comfort

The kitten can just about fit her head into the mouth of one of my Chucks, if it's unlaced.

Maybe I'll run over to the drugstore this morning and pick up a little bottle and a teething ring, one of the solid ones rather than the kind you freeze, so she can suck, and chew something which is neither soft and fluffy nor human.

Oooh, warm fuzzy memories.

We raised so many kittens and especially lambs with bottles. We even had a Flicker (ground woodpecker) chick who was abandoned by his parents. He lived in our bathroom and had to be fed soaked dog kibble with a pair of tweezers.

You could make one of these...
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/04/22/funny-pictures-video-kitteh-whack-a-mouse/

Well, she liked having some kitty formula from a baby bottle, for about five minutes until she had gnawed through the nipple with her little razor teefs. Wonder if they make veterinary-grade nipples?

Women who continue to breast feed have a similar problem.

This kitten isn't right in the head. I tried using a water pistol to keep her out of my plants- but she likes water (we have to feed her in the tub, or Herman eats her food). I bought bitter cherry spray, and she licks it off and THEN chews the leaves.

She'll be moving to a new home on the 31st. My friend J and her wife D found pet-friendly housing near U of Chicago, where he's doing his PhD starting in a couple of months or so.

Kitten and Herman fight a lot, really hard, and she bites his face. It seems like they're playing, so we let them. But we're afraid to leave her out all day on the off chance she gets carried away- there's nowhere Herman can hide from her that she can't get to, as she is smaller, faster and more agile than he. We've had to shut her up during work days, or anytime we're not home for more than a couple of hours, and it bothers us to think what a boring existence it would be for a little kitty with boundless energy to be in such a small room so much of the time. It seems that she sleeps most of the day anyway, but still... we think she'd be happier having the run of a place. So, they'll adopt her and we can visit whenever we like (we visit from time to time already). She'll be able to tear around and play whenever she wants, day or night. And Herman won't get his butt kicked and all his fur yanked out. She sure does like to yank out his tail and face fuzz.

I'll miss the little scamp, though- she's (mostly) a real sweetie, and absolutely gorgeous.

She sounds... interesting. But... a pet is supposed to enhance your life, not rule it, so I think you're making the best decision.

What Sho said.

Glad for Herman's sake that he'll get to rule the roost again.