Prince Blade
Prince Blade was the dominate kitten in his litter of two kittens. I have found that the dominate kitten usually grows up to be more friendly to humans than the rest. If you are wondering which kitten to keep out of your litter, chose the one who demands his mother’s attention and dominates. He knows how to charm you and he is spoiled.
Prince Blade
This guy, I named “Blade” because of the marking on his forehead. I thought it looked like an up turned sword, but it also looks like a hand flipping the bird at you. He earned his princely status because he just demands it. He is the only cat of my seven cats who insists that he deserve to sleep on my bed with his head on my pillow.
Prince Blade
Living with Multiple Cats
How many:
I don’t suggest trying to live with more than ten cats, especially if they are in your house. Maybe if you have a large house and it is decorated and designed for the pleasure and convenience of cats that would be okay. I would love to have carpeted cat shelves and paths for them all over my house but I just can’t do that.
I seem to have acquired seven cats and living with seven cats in the dead of winter means that they are sleeping in my house. It is too cold for them outside right now so I took pity on them and I am allowing them to sleep inside. When it gets warmer they will spend more time outside and the males will sleep on the cat porch.
I have three males and four females who are always adjusting their own pecking order so sometimes its not as peaceful a proposition as I would like it to be. A couple of my older females are always having a spat with someone and growling for some reason.
Maintaining Peace:
The secret to maintaining peace and keeping them all happy, is to have enough beds for them to sleep in, otherwise you may find them all in your bed or you may wake up to a cat fight over some choice napping real-estate. Of course they all want to sleep near you, so they will want to be in your bedroom or where ever it is warm and where you spend most of your time. I don’t have a door on my bedroom so I can’t lock them out. I do have lots of boxes, baskets and beds for them to chose from and I still end up with two or three sleeping with me. This is only when the temperatures are below zero and their cat room porch is pretty cold and their water dish freezes up.
Spay and neuter:
All of my females are spayed except Nubella who just joined us and is still too young. I have two young males who are not neutered yet and I keep procrastinating getting that done. They are not sexually active yet but Prince Blade is showing an interest in Nubella who has not come in season yet. I don’t want the young males going out in the neighborhood making more kittens because those kittens will probably end up on my doorstep begging for a home. I struggle sometimes finding the money to spay and neuter, but I have to draw the line at seven cats. I just can’t take on any more than that. Please spay and neuter all your cats.
Fleas:
Last year we had a lot of fleas because of Feebie, a flea bitten kitten, who turned up in my garage from out of nowhere. The humidity last year was high and we had fleas on the dogs and the cats and everywhere. I spend a couple hundred dollars on flea remedies. I also sprayed the house and got an insect repelling beacon that I plugged into an electrical socket in my kitchen. I hope next year is dry and the fleas will not be able to hatch and thrive.
Litter Boxes:
I have two litter boxes in the house and two on the cat porch. I am constantly removing scat from them. I just flush it down the toilet. Its a constant job in the winter when the cats are all in the house. In the summer most of my cats prefer doing their business outside where I park my car. I see little piles of dirt with scratch marks all around them all the time. These can be raked up if they get to be too annoying.
I complain about my cats but when they are all outside and I am alone, I do miss them. There is something very calming about a sleeping cat.
How to Get Rid of Fleas on your Kitten
Flea Comb Treatment
Using a flea comb will reduce the need for insecticides and constant bathing. I know my flea bitten kitten would rather be combed than have to take a bath.
Flea combs have very fine teeth that will remove adult fleas and eggs from the fur. Most dogs and cats seem to enjoy this treatment.
How to use a flea comb:
Find a quiet place and make your dog or cat feels comfortable. Have a bowl of soapy water and put it next to you. This is where you will deposit the fleas. The soap will prevent them from escaping the surface of the water and they will drown.
Start combing through the fur coat of your dog or cat. The fleas will appear on the comb.
Pay particular attention to the face and neck and the area just in front of the tail. These are areas that fleas are frequently found. They will also hide under the arms and legs of the animal.
The flea comb will remove both the adult fleas as well as eggs that are present on the fur.
Dip the flea comb into the bowl of soapy water.
Repeat the combing session several times a day if possible to remove as many fleas from your pet as possible. Dogs and cats will love and enjoy being groomed and this is an excellent opportunity for you, the pet owner to bond with your pet.
A flea comb treatment alone will never rid your pet of fleas since flea larvae may also be in the bedding, furniture and carpet. It is, however, a useful way to keep an eye on the flea population, and if used as a preventive measure can keep them in check. If you have a major flea infestation, you will have to get rid of most of them before you can use just a comb on your pet.
A weekly bath and the use of Flea Shampoo will also complement the use of flea combs in controlling flea infestation on your pets but you will also have to work on the bedding, furniture and carpet. Here the vaccuum cleaner is you best friend. Also, you can use natural all-in-one flea control powder on both your pets and the carpet.