Introducing Little Tyke: A Tribute to Einstein

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Discussion Overview

The thread revolves around the introduction of a new kitten named Little Tyke, adopted in memory of a previously owned cat named Einstein. Participants share their experiences and emotions related to adopting and caring for young kittens, including discussions about feeding, litter training, and the challenges of raising a kitten from a very young age.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant shares the story of adopting Little Tyke, a three-week-old kitten, and expresses joy in caring for him.
  • Several participants comment on the cuteness of the kitten and express happiness for the new adoption.
  • Questions arise about the kitten's background, including whether he was abandoned, with one participant explaining that a dog brought the kittens home from a feral mother.
  • There are discussions about the challenges of feeding very young kittens, including difficulties with kitten bottles and the need for burping and cleaning after feeding.
  • Participants share tips on litter training and the expected timeline for when a kitten can start using a litter box, with some uncertainty about the specifics.
  • One participant reflects on their own experiences with a kitten and offers advice on managing the messes associated with raising a young cat.
  • There is a light-hearted exchange about the potential for future pets, including puppies, and the joys and challenges of pet ownership.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express agreement on the joys of adopting and caring for a kitten, but there are varying opinions and experiences regarding the challenges of feeding and training young kittens. The discussion remains unresolved on some specifics, such as the exact age when kittens typically begin to use a litter box.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various personal experiences and anecdotes, which may not be universally applicable. There is also some uncertainty about the timeline for litter training and the specific behaviors of kittens at different ages.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in pet adoption, particularly those considering adopting young kittens or those who are currently caring for them, may find this discussion helpful.

Ivan Seeking
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As some of you know, we lost our very special 17 year old cat, Einstein, about a month ago. And even though we still have two more cats and a stray that visits daily, Tsu came home with this the other night.

He is three weeks old. Einstein's nickname was Little Tyke, so we named this little one in his honor.

I was watching Tsu yesterday and clocked almost five whole minutes that she wasn't looking at the new kitty. :biggrin:

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4986/tyke1wt8.jpg
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/161/tyke2za2.jpg
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4022/tyke3ae4.jpg
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5973/tyke4af4.jpg
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/1995/tyke6wp9.jpg
 
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Zomg Cute Overload!
 
It's nice to know that he has a great new home.
 
So, so cute! He's adorable!

Congrats on your new little one! Just three weeks old...was he abandoned?
 
lisab said:
...was he abandoned?

Well, apparently one of Tsu's coworkers has a dog that brings home the babies of stray cats. That's about all that I know about it.
 
Awww! What a cutie! Sweet!
 
Oh my god that is so freaking cute! Adorable!
 
That is so darned cute! {waves hi back to the little guy}
 
Oh, so adorably cute! And a little sad too how he arrived so young. But, at least he has good people to take care of him. :smile:
 
  • #10
He's a real cutie alright, we were visting last night, had some of Ivan's awesome steaks and oohed and auude over the kitty. Indeed
Tsu was reluctant to let the little guy out of her sight.
 
  • #11
Oh, how adorable! That's one lucky little kitten!
 
  • #12
Wave "Hi" to the PF'ers!
 
  • #13
How do you get those kitten bottles to work? No matter what size hole I punch, they never seem to be able to drink, so I end up feeding them with an eye dropper.
 
  • #14
Thanks everyone! I'm just completely in love with this Little Tyke.

Apparently my friends dog is the motherly type set herself up as the neighborhood Kitten Protective Services. She up and decided that the feral mother of these kittens was just NO GOOD, - no good AT ALL and SHE was stepping in. So she brought the kittens home at almost 2 weeks of age. Being the softie I am, and never having had a kitten so young, I thought I'd give it a go as 'Mama Cat'. :biggrin:

Now, I was a bit worried about what Ivan was going to say about it, but to his credit, he stepped up to the plate and offered to perform the 'Mama Cat' duties while I'm at work. It took him all of 2 seconds to fall for this little sweetie. Isn't he just the best? :!) And I thought I was the softie...

These aren't the best pictures in the world. They were taken so close up because he's so small :biggrin: and then there's the glare off of my pale lilac soft fuzzy bathrobe that Tyke is so fond of. He likes to climb into my pocket and 'hang' out with me while I do my housework.

As far as those bottles - Ivan cut a rather huge hole and I give the bottle a tiny but steady squeeze as he's feeding. Then I actually have to burp him! And THEN! - after he plays a little after eating, I get to "poop the kitten" which usually requires a minor butt bath when done. :rolleyes:

We'll try to post pictures as he grows so you can watch his progress with us. My face already hurts from constantly smiling at him. :biggrin:
 
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  • #15
Tsu said:
Apparently my friends dog is the motherly type set herself up as the neighborhood Kitten Protective Services. She up and decided that the feral mother of these kittens was just NO GOOD and SHE was stepping in.
:smile:

and then there's the glare off of my pale lilac soft fuzzy bathrobe that Tyke is so fond of. He likes to climb into my pocket and 'hang' out with me while I do housework.
Awww... He probably thinks you're his mommy with all that fur. :biggrin: That's about the age Lucky was when we wound up with him when I was a teen. We used to give him a big stuffed toy cat to cuddle with when we weren't around to cuddle with him.

As far as those bottles - Ivan cut a rather huge hole and I give the bottle a tiny but steady squeeze as he's feeding. Then I actually have to burp him! And THEN! - after he plays a little after eating, I get to "poop the kitten".

Just wait until he surprises you one day by pooping by himself! What a mess! It's that stage between you doing it for him and him being old enough to use a litterbox that's the worst (I guess it's like toilet training kids when they still have accidents on the way to the potty).
 
  • #16
Moonbear said:
:smile:
Just wait until he surprises you one day by pooping by himself! What a mess! It's that stage between you doing it for him and him being old enough to use a litterbox that's the worst (I guess it's like toilet training kids when they still have accidents on the way to the potty).

YIKES! No one told me about THAT one! Oh, joy. Hey, Auntie Moonbear! Wanna come visit and show us how to take care of that?? :biggrin:
 
  • #17
Tsu said:
YIKES! No one told me about THAT one! Oh, joy. Hey, Auntie Moonbear! Wanna come visit and show us how to take care of that?? :biggrin:

I'd suggest keeping him confined in a box or laundry basket or some such place and give him a very shallow pan (like the depth of a pie plate) for a litterbox so he can easily get in and out while getting the hang of the idea. It's really that they start being able to poop on their own before being on solid food, so as you know, what comes out on a milk diet is rather gooey, and until he's on solid food, it'll keep being that way.
 
  • #18
Aww! Reminds me of my Rosie except she hasn't got the stripes.

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8623/kittyvv6.jpg
 
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  • #19
Thanks for the tip, Auntie Moonbear. At what age can I expect this fun to begin?

Aww, Krudt! What a SWEET and pretty kitty Rosie is! How old is she? Aren't kitties fun? Puppies, too. Hmmm... Maybe I'll bring home a puppy next... :biggrin:
 
  • #20
Tsu, what breed is the puppy in your avatar?
 
  • #21
Tsu said:
Aww, Krudt! What a SWEET and pretty kitty Rosie is! How old is she? Aren't kitties fun? Puppies, too. Hmmm... Maybe I'll bring home a puppy next... :biggrin:

She was stray so we don't know for sure but we think she's about 10 years old now.
 
  • #22
Tsu said:
Thanks for the tip, Auntie Moonbear. At what age can I expect this fun to begin?

I don't remember what age...sorry. I just remember the messes. Well, by 6 or 7 weeks, they're fully capable of using a litter box and weaned for adoption even when they're still with their mom, so if he's going to go through that stage, it shouldn't be too far away (and won't last that long either).
 
  • #23
turbo - I don't know what breed it is. It may be a Samoyed or a Malamute. I'll bet Moonbear knows. It's one of those pictures that went around in emails years ago and I thought it was the cutest thing I'd seen in ages. That look on it's face reminded me of myself during a hot flash, so I chose him as my avatar. (I couldn't find a picture of a Pit Bull with lipstick). :biggrin:

edit: I just googled myself and it appears that I am a Malamute.

Kurdt - WOW! 10! Excellent!

MB - oh joy. What do you mean IF he's going to go through that stage? Do I have a choice here? :biggrin: Anything else to look forward to?
 
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  • #24
Tsu said:
MB - oh joy. What do you mean IF he's going to go through that stage? Do I have a choice here? :biggrin: Anything else to look forward to?

Well, I only have experience raising one from that young of an age, so maybe I had a weirdo and yours won't go through that stage. Just trying to stay positive. :rolleyes: Evo has bottle raised a few, maybe she knows if this is a common thing or just that I had a wacky kitten (I do have a knack for attracting the wacky cats...just ask Ember).
 
  • #25
Moonie, Tsu's avatar is a really cute dog. My wife and I want another pet, and that little rascal looks like a hand-ful. Do you know what kind of dog that is? We have a very small house so a Yorkie or a Westie might be a good choice, but that little rascal is TOO cute.
 
  • #26
Moonbear said:
Well, I only have experience raising one from that young of an age, so maybe I had a weirdo and yours won't go through that stage. Just trying to stay positive. :rolleyes: Evo has bottle raised a few, maybe she knows if this is a common thing or just that I had a wacky kitten (I do have a knack for attracting the wacky cats...just ask Ember).

Yes, we've heard about your attraction of the wacky. :devil:

Auntie Evo? Your experiences?

Also... Do bottle fed kittens experience personality problems? I had a vet tech. tell me that once, but I think SHE was the one with the possible personality problem...:wink:
 
  • #29
I don't know breeds of puppies any better than the next person. Though, I wouldn't have guess malamute. I'd have guessed shih tzu. If you scroll down this page at some of their puppy pictures (the ones where they haven't pulled their fur up in barrettes), the puppies look more like Tsu's avatar than the malamute puppy pictures I've been finding (the nose looks too pushed into be malamute...but it could just be the resolution).

http://www.rockingkshihtzu.com/
 
  • #30
Tsu said:
Also... Do bottle fed kittens experience personality problems? I had a vet tech. tell me that once, but I think SHE was the one with the possible personality problem...:wink:

They can, but I don't think any different than kittens that are just weaned too young. Things like excessive kneading, chewing on their tails (one of my friends had a kitten weaned too young and named him Tails because he would constantly suck on his tail, like a baby sucks on their thumb). Some might not know when to stop biting, but you have other cats around to help show him proper cats are supposed to act (by biting back when he acts up if necessary...usually that's the job of littermates). Lucky, the one I bottle-raised, was somewhat of a loner as an adult, but LOVED baths (he got a LOT of them when he started pooping on his own...and on himself)...he'd jump in the bathtub with my stepsister (she's the one who ultimately adopted him for a permanent home).
 

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