This morning, I learned that my website www.felinexpress.com and one of my articles about my beloved Guinevere; Headbumps of Courage won a Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers’ Association.
I entered both plus my blog and a poem I wrote in their annual contest a few months ago.
I am thrilled by the recognition. It simply means that out of a score of 100- these scored 90 or better! It also puts me in line for a Muse Medallion. I will know after their convention in November which takes place in New York.
Hello…just found your site while searching on tips for taming a feral kitten. We have a kitten in our home who was brought to us, tiny and sick, by a contractor who is doing some work for us. The kitten (whom we have named Peanut) was only14.6 ounces, but based on his teeth, our vet thought he was already 9 wks old. (He is about 16-17 weeks now.) We have treated him for various infections, and he is doing well, but has a lot of feral cat behaviors. For instance, although he sleeps with us, jumps on us, etc., he sometimes spooks quite easily and goes into a hissing, spitting fit for a few seconds (which really startles US!). When he gets wound up in play, he will actually BARK at us, a quick little noise he makes while jutting his chin forward. And when we hand feed him, he growls and swats at us, even though we are GIVING him food. Also, he bites A LOT. It seems he has three modes: sleeping, eating and ATTACKING. We have tried many different methods to get him to stop biting us all the time, mostly to no avail. All we can mangage is to get him interested in a toy that he CAN bite. He is only about two pounds, but he terrorizes our new rescue dog. They play, but Peanut bites the dog REALLY HARD on the leg a lot and makes him squeal. I have to keep them separated most of the time, because all I do is try to break them up. Any tips on how to deal with the biting, the growling, etc.? He is gorgeous, and can be really cute, but if we can’t get this behavior under control, I don’t see how we could keep him. I’ve had six other cats, (five of them from shelters), and have never seen this kind of behavior from any of them. Anyone with tips can feel free to email me at kiwibirder@gmail.com. Thanks!
Kelly,
You are describing typical stray kitten behavior. More than likely this kitty was not left with mom long enough to learn about biting- so it now falls on you to teach him. When he bites, hiss at him- then scream out loudly as if you are really hurt and withdraw from him immediately. He will catch on-
Second, get him neutered- this will help the aggressive behavior.
ALL of my cats here will react to unexpected noises and scatter to the wind when they hear anything out of the ordinary. If one or two of them happen to be on our laps, we are left with red scratch marks as they launch themselves into the air and away from us.
STOP hand-feeding him- never a good idea from a kitten who isn’t sure where the next meal is coming from. Feed him on a plate on a regular schedule keep to that schedule religiously and that part of him will calm down.
As I tell everyone who contacts me- you cannot tame him- you can socialize him (there is a big difference). But please do not give up on him and toss him aside as if he doesn’t matter. You abandon him now before working this out with him and his issues will multiply. Plus it is not fair to him to abandon him yet again. i will be happy to help you all I can- if you happen to be in Oregon- I can take him for you and work with him and bring him back to you a different kitty then you will remember him to be.
Congrats on the certificate of excellence!!! It’s so nice to see your talents and efforts recognized.
Many congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS! So glad to hear the news!
Congratulations on your award. It’s nice when there’s a bit of recognition for one’s efforts, isn’t it?
Oh, and I read your story “Headbumps of Courage”. It was a wonderful tale of a wonderful cat. How horrible some people can be to those weaker than themselves. The person who tortured Guinevere was a bully; people who think that it’s bad but not as bad as if a human were tortured don’t realize that the sort of person who does that to a cat would do it to a human, if he thought he could get away with it. In Guinevere’s dreams, she may have still be scared and tormented, but when she woke, she was safe and loved.
concatulations!!!!