# New ragdoll kitten help



## Xomisscharlotte (Jul 26, 2019)

Hi Very long post! So sorry! Thanks in advance for anyone who reads and has any advice.

So, I Have quite a busy house with 3 young children under 7 one with special needs who is home educated but it means we’re almost always at home, a 3 year old Labrador and I already have a tuxedo moggy who is 7 months old. 2 months ago I bought a ragdoll kitten and he’s now 5 months old. Since buying him we’ve had no end of problems and from the day we got him he’s been poorly with sneezing, nasal and eye discharge and a mix between diarrhoea and loose stools. He’s been given various treatment from the vet, prescription food/diet changes and he’s still under investigation what’s actually wrong with him as nothing is helping. He has already been neutered also. Aside from his health problems, his behaviour is driving us crazy.

BITING

Up until a few days ago when my partner bit him back on his ear he would always bite us and scratch us. It seems play rather than aggressive behaviour but he does it so hard. He’d always instigate it by coming up to us for attention or laying on us just to bite us. I was replacing our hands, legs and feet etc with toys but it wasn’t working. Even playing with him with wands or hand held toys he would just got for my hand and arm. In case he goes back to this is there a better way to teach him?

LITTER TRAINING AND SELF GROOMING

He isn’t properly litter trained. We had an accident the first night he was here despite being placed in litter trays regularly and having one easily accessible in each room. It was like he didn’t know why I kept putting him in the tray. He’s since got the idea from me and the help of my other cat but he doesn’t dig or even try to cover it. He keeps doing his stools on the edge of the tray sometimes going on the floor or smearing all down the side. The tray is more than big enough for his size it’s like he purposely goes right to the edge. With his stools been as they are he makes a right mess of everything and all around his bum and back legs but he won’t clean himself. I’ve left him for almost an hour a couple of times and if he’s done it overnight then he’s left longer, but he just won’t touch it and doesn’t seem bothered by it? I have to wipe him or rinse his rear end 2/3 times a day. 

SCAVENGING

When we first got him he was on royal Canin so I kept on that for a couple of days but the diarrhoea was horrendous and the worst it’s been while on that, so since he already had an upset tummy I just did a straight switch on to the food I feed my other cat which is Akela 90:10 (90% meat 10% veg no grains) dry food and 100g Akela wet food a day alternated between fish feast/meat and fish (70% meat 30% veg again no grains) He settled on that food and was on it for a month. He loves the food but even with food still in his dish he never stops scavenging and stealing food. He is fed wet at regular times twice a day and dry is available all the time. He will try to steal out of our hands as we’re eating things, he goes searching for crumbs, anything he can get hold of he eats. All while he still has his own food but he’d rather eat toast crumbs, cucumber, lettuce, dry weetabix crumbs, biscuit crumbs, chips, crisps, beans, pastry etc. I hoover at least daily sometimes two or three times depending on the mess the kids make and kitchen counters are clear of food all the time.

My other kitten quickly learned after a few days that she always had food so doesn’t bother with anything we have but he’s just not learning. Each time he tries to get anything he is scruffed, told no and placed at his food dish but he doesn’t quit. He’s gotten worse about it, trying to run off with food off my plate 8 times in a couple of minutes last night and so has had to be put in the dogs cage while we ate. He isn’t bothered so much about meat it’s all the food you wouldn’t expect a cat to go mad for and I’m getting really fed up of him. He was on boiled chicken and rice for a week but refused to eat it and now he’s on hills prescription wet food but he’s having 2 pouches a day (double the recommendation) and still acts like he’s starved and he’s just out of control with his need for food.

When he was eating together with my other kitten they each had separate dishes but he would eat some of his then force her out the way to have her food as well. He’s back at vets again shortly so will see what they suggest but does anyone have any advice about how can I deal with this please? How can I teach him and Why is he behaving like this? 

He would have gone back to the breeder with his health issues but she’s a horrible abusive and aggressive woman to deal with and has already said she won’t give a refund. She was actually a highly recommended, gccf registered, reputable breeder as well that’s turned nasty since admitting she knowingly sold us a sick kitten. The vets said moving home will make his condition worse so he’s stuck with us until we at least get answers about his health but we are all really attached and want to keep him. 

Thanks, Charlotte x


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## Pepperpots (Apr 3, 2016)

Sounds like he didn’t stay with his mum long enough for her to teach him.

Regarding the litter, you could try a few different kinds to see if he prefers standing on them. It prob doesn’t help if he’s got a runny bum so going is more urgent.
If he’s long haired I’d be giving his bum fluff a little trim to make it easier to clean him up. I’d go in with the wet wipe straight away.

I’d play with him a lot, especially before meals. Hopefully should stop him getting bored and using you as a cat toy. If he goes for your hands, stay very still and make a high pitched eek noise.

You could give him his dry food in a puzzle ball to slow his eating and make him think.
If he’s hungry I’d feed him more small meals of wet a day, they eat a lot when they are growing and 2 pouches doesn’t sound like a great deal.

Mine scavenge. I just never leave any food out. Used to shut them out of the room I was eating in, but they’re ok now they’re older.

I’d want poo samples tested for any nasties. If negative, I’d try a single protein elimination diet.

Erm ... does that cover everything!


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Did you mean your partner bit the kitten?


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## Pepperpots (Apr 3, 2016)

Missed that - I’d stop the scruffing and biting!


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## Xomisscharlotte (Jul 26, 2019)

Lurcherlad said:


> Did you mean your partner bit the kitten?


Yes he bit his ear once. Not exactly the best solution by far but he'd had enough of been hurt. It was a questionable last resort and I was not happy about it but since he has stopped biting and scratching us and actually playing with his toys. My partner said that's what his mum would have done to tell him and assured me he didn't actually hurt him, bite hard or anything cruel it was just a little shock. I didn't go much into this as he seems to have stopped now but it's as though he never learnt bite inhibition and would regularly draw blood on hands or leave bruises on thighs and arms. Trying to play with toys with him just didn't work before either as he would rather attack us and bite us while we were moving the toys. I trimmed his claws so the scratching wasn't as bad but biting like that with 3 young children just couldn't continue. It wasn't just normal kitten nibbling/mouthing x


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## Xomisscharlotte (Jul 26, 2019)

Pepperpots said:


> Sounds like he didn't stay with his mum long enough for her to teach him.
> 
> Regarding the litter, you could try a few different kinds to see if he prefers standing on them. It prob doesn't help if he's got a runny bum so going is more urgent.
> If he's long haired I'd be giving his bum fluff a little trim to make it easier to clean him up. I'd go in with the wet wipe straight away.
> ...


He apparently was litter trained with wood pellets but he didn't entertain them at all. We tried the value brand litters and are now using catsan. Will changing brand make him cover it up do you think? If he covered it he'd be less likely to step in it as well as the smell wouldn't be quite as bad. He did get his bum shaved but I bought some pet shavers to shave some more off as it didn't stop his back paws getting covered. He is long haired I would say and had loads of hair around his bum originally.

It's only been a few days since he's started playing with his toys but I'll definitely try that and a puzzle ball sounds a great idea, thank you. About the prescription diet the vets have said to put him back on his normal food once we've used all the pouches they gave us. If he still has problems after that then a dry only diet for a while. He's been tested for FIV, FeLV, FIP and today they've taken swabs for chlamydia, herpes and something else. If he's negative for them then they want a stool sample as it's the other symptoms as well that's concerning them most at the moment.

I'd rather not have to shut him out the room we're eating in if I can help it and would rather just try everything I can do to teach him first. All other cats I've had haven't been like this over food, especially not to the extent he goes to trying to steal out of hands and off plates or once they've been told no and moved away they wouldn't keep coming back. He's just relentless x


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## Pepperpots (Apr 3, 2016)

How about you give him a puzzle ball with some food in whilst you are eating?


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## Pepperpots (Apr 3, 2016)

Dry only isn’t good, especially if he’s got runny poos. I’d just give him the wet food, personally, and use the dry for treats. There’s some good posts on dry versus wet on this forum.

I’m not a huge fan of Catsan myself, as it’s very dusty. Maybe something like worlds best or OKO? That soaks the wee up pretty quickly.

Again, do a search on here for cat litter and there’s loads of info.

Good luck!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @Xomisscharlotte -

I am sorry to hear you were having problems with your kitten biting you. Biting a kitten is definitely not the right way to train them to stop, as I am sure you know. And nor is scruffing them btw.

I have raised a lot of kittens over the years, my own adopted kittens as well as foster kittens, and what has always worked for me to stop them biting is :

1/ Whenever a kitten bites me I keep completely still and give a high pitched squeal just as his litter mates would do when they are playing together too roughly.

2/ I keep Kong Kickeroo toys handy around the home so I can grab one and slide it between the kitten's paws if he bites me. His attention is thus redirected on to the kickeroo.

3/ If he won't let go of my hand or arm etc I do not pull away, but instead I gently push my hand or arm against his mouth. It does not hurt him but he finds it uncomfortable and releases me.

4/ I then walk away from him so he knows I am not interested in playing for the time being.

Litter tray usage: - it sounds as though his stools are softy or mushy as they are smearing the sides of the trays, and he is getting poo on his fur. Soft/mushy stools are not normal and are either caused by an unsuitable diet or by a bowel infection, virus or parasites. Has he been wormed with Panacur since you got him? Have 3 samples of his stools been cultured at a vet lab for infections or viruses?

If he has soft stools he may be reluctant to use the litter tray for hygiene reasons. Litter trays are a highly valued resource to cats and they do not like to contaminate them with abnormal poo (e.g soft or runny).

Or it could be that he dislikes the type of litter you provide. I would try offering one of the trays with a litter such as Worlds Best, which IME acts like a magnet to most cats. It is a fien granular litter (the type of litter cats like) and it absorbs urine well and covers up smells.

Cats not burying their stools is nothing to do with lack of hygiene. If cats bury their stools it is because they want to hide the scent from their predators. If they don't bury their stools it is because they want to display them to other cats in the household - it's a territorial thing. Also I have often noted that cats with loose stools often choose not to bury their stools. Use open trays for preference or if covered trays please remove the door flaps and bin them.

Food:- my experience is that a kitten who constantly scavenges for food and steals food off human plates is very hungry, either he is not getting enough to eat, or not getting enough of the right kind of nutrients. Kittens grow at a rapid rate and have enormous appetites. At 5 mths old my kittens would eat around 450 grams to 500 grams a day of wet food.

How much wet food in grams a day are you feeding him?

If he still has a loose stool, then the food is passing much too rapidly through his system, and that is why he is always hungry. If you feed him a low carb, high protein diet it will take longer for him to digest (as natures intends for cats).

Akela dry food does not contain grains as you said, but it contains chick pea flour and lentils and both of which are indigestible for cats as they lack the right enzymes to process them. My main concern is the food contains only 2% animal fats (+ some fish oil from the dehydrated herring) and this is not enough fat for the diet of a kitten. Cats need fats for energy and kittens use up a lot of energy.

Ingredients of Akela 90:10 .......
Dehydrated Chicken 29%, Dehydrated Herring 14%, Dehydrated Salmon 11%, Freshly Prepared Chicken 11%, Dehydrated Turkey 10%, Sweet Potato 7%, Freshly Prepared Salmon 7%, Freshly Prepared Chicken Liver 3%, Tapioca 2%, Chicken Fat 2%, Freshly Prepared Free Range Egg 1%, Chicken Stock 1%, Salmon Oil 1%, Minerals, Vitamins, Chick Pea Flour, Whole Linseed, Alfalfa, Lentils, Pre-biotic FOS, Joint Support [Glucosamine, MSM, Chondroitin Sulphate], Dried Apple, Organic Peas, Dried Organic Spinach, Dried Organic Pumpkin, Dried Organic Carrot, Camomile, Marigold Petals, Aniseed & Fenugreek, Peppermint, Yucca Extract, Dried Seaweed, Dried Cranberry, Dried Dandelion Herb, Dried Pear, Rosemary, Fennel, Dried Blueberry, Dried Garlic, Rosehips, Dried Burdock Root, Organic Honey.

The only Akela wet food I can find details of is the tinned stuff and according to the ingredients listed it contains no animal fats at al! I hope there is another version of the food I have not yet found.

I recommend that you to increase his daily intake of meat protein and animal fats. Home cooked meats such as chicken drumsticks, turkey thigh, lamb or beef can be fed without a supplement as long as they make up no more than 15% of the diet. Or you could feed him some balanced raw food, from one of the pet food suppliers of raw.

I also recommend feeding much less of the dry food, as dry food is not the best thing for a kitten, because of the lack of moisture in it and the kitten's inability to drink enough water to hydrate it properly.


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## Ottery (Jun 14, 2019)

I think the lack of socialisation by the breeder is the root of all his problems. He doesn't know how to behave around humans, probably didn't stay with mum long enough, had to fight for food.

Re the diarrhoea - has he been wormed recently?

I had a ‘biter’ and despite trying the things which are usually recommended, none of them worked (I used a wand toy and he’d come over and bite my leg if I wasn’t quick enough with it! ) What worked for me was being very very gentle with him. I suspect your ragdoll’s poor socialisation means he has no 'manners' and is a bit scared even if he seems confident. That was the case with my kitten. So every time I handled him and stroked him, I was very gentle. I approached him slowly and spoke softly. I never scruffed him, but I sometimes moved him gently to the floor or the other side of the door. I found if I moved quickly or raised my voice, it just ramped up his aggression whereas if I was soft and quiet, he was reassured. It only took a week for the biting to stop, he transformed from a nightmare to a delight. Obviously, everyone in the household would need to do this.

Re him pestering you for your food. I find that’s really common, some do it more than others. My current two kittens were certainly still barging up and trying to take food from us at 5 months. Shut him out of the room while you eat. After a few days try letting him in when you eat and see how it goes - still scavenging, shut him out. They do learn, but it takes time, he is still very young. 

Obviously you need to ensure he is getting enough of his own food - bear in mind if he has constant diarrhoea he is probably not absorbing the nutrients from his own food so you can get into a vicious circle.

Re the dirty bottom - well, that’s male kittens IME. Fortunately mine are short-haired and rarely had runny bots, but I still had to regularly deal with poo smears on their hind legs and feet! Again - they learn, by 8 months dirty bottoms are rare! If you resolve the diarrhoea, obviously it will be a lot less horrible.

Some kittens don't cover over in the litter tray. He may copy your older cat, or he may not. I wouldn't see it as a big issue really, you're going to scoop it out shortly anyway.


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## Xomisscharlotte (Jul 26, 2019)

He has been wormed twice in the 2 months I’ve had him. He was overdue both his flea and worm when I got him so needed doing straight away. I get the stuff from vets and I think it’s Panacur and stronghold flea. 

He’s been put back on antibiotics now for the sneezing and discharge from his eyes and nose. It’s a different one this time but seems to have had the same effect of helping his stools. The problem isn’t that he isn’t using the litter tray, he is. He’s had 2 accidents but one was first night we got him before he understood to use the litter tray and second one I think he did to show he was pissed off as I’d just had him in the cage while we were eating. He walked past the trays to have his accident. He jumps at the door handles and so can manage to open the doors so he has to go in my labradors dog cage... the problems are that he doesn’t cover it then somehow always steps in it and he’s doing it right up the edge of the litter trays so half ends up on the floor. He does his wees fine and all over the litter tray, it’s just his stools have to be at the very edge? 

We’ve settled on catsan for now and have like 60L left as I bought in bulk and can’t afford anymore yet, but I’ll look at a gradual change to another brand when I’m on my last 10L or so. If it’s dusty that can’t help his sneezing etc

What wet and dry food would anyone recommend please? I thought I was buying a medium to high quality food and I wanted the best I could get for them. Kinda upset it’s not as good as I thought. I get my dog food from akela so just easier to get cat food from them as well but if it’s no good for them then I’m happy to change. I can afford £60 a month but raw isn’t possible yet as I don’t have a chest freezer yet but I’m hoping to feed raw in the future. 

I tried all the usual things to stop biting but he just wasn’t getting it. Replacing with toys, staying still, squealing and gently pushing on his teeth to get him to let go. I have bought him over 30 different toys inc kong kickaroos of different types and he just wasn’t bothered. It’s only since my partner did gently bite his ear that he’s shown an interest. He would bite my hand, I’d squeal, keep still etc replaced my hand with a toy but instead of being distracted, he would spit it straight out and go for me again. I walk away and he would follow me clawing and biting my legs as I walked. He plays with my older kitten a lot and regularly goes too far with her and when she squeals or makes any high pitched noises to stop he doesn’t stop with her either. 

I do know that Biting was not the right thing to do and my partner obviously was just frustrated since we have persevered for 2 months with my young children getting hurt by him on a daily basis to the extent they were x


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi again @Xomisscharlotte - I must admit that over the years I have never had a kitten of my own, or fostered a kitten where nothing worked to stop him/her biting humans. So I sympathise if you feel you have tried everything to no avail.

I would be surprised if your kitten suddenly stopped biting you because your partner "gently" bit your kitten's ear. A kitten would not rationalise such an action as a deterrent, though I suppose he might see it as part of a game.

Cats do not respond well to punishment, and the way to train a kitten is never by punishing them. This is something that cannot be stressed too much when there are impressionable children around. Kittens need to be trained compassionately with redirection to suitable alternatives, and praised for good behaviour.

When you have a meal, I'd give your kitten a meal at the same time, shutting him out of the room where you eat. Opening lever type door handles is common amongst cats - several of mine used to do it. There is an easy solution - replace lever door handles with round handles that need gripping to turn them. Or remove the lever handles and re-fit them upside down, so they have to be pushed upwards to open them. The humans will soon get the hang of it, your kitten won't.

You mentioned you have several litter trays. And you say that he wees all over the litter trays then poos at the edges so it spills over or he steps in it. In general cats do not like to use the same litter tray for pee and poo, whether it's their own pee or the pee of another cat. In the wild cats use separate areas for pee and poo and this same instinct is applicable indoors with litter trays. So if he is coming to the trays for a poo and they are all full up with wees, you need to provide more trays. 3 is the minimum number for 2 cats but I always provide 4 trays for 2 cats and they all get used.

As I explained in my previous post, whether to bury their poo is not a hygiene issue for cats; nor is it to do with laziness. It relates to the need of the cat either to hide poo from predators or to display it for other cats to see and smell it. It could be your kitten will never bury his poo (even with an extra tray provided) as he is displaying it for your other kitten to see and smell. Of my 2 female cats, one sometimes buries her poo, and the other one never does. The males all bury their poo every time. Interestingly the female who never buries her poo is by far the most assertive of all my cats, so in her case she is using her poo as a display to the other cats.

Re: food. If your kitten has loose stools now ( or when he does) stop all the cat food and instead feed him a bland diet to rest the bowel. This should be home cooked chicken drumsticks either cooked on the hob in water or cooked in the oven in a roasting pan with 5 cms of water added to make the stock, and covered tightly with baking foil. gas Mark 5 for 1 hour. Serve chopped up without the bone but with plenty of the cooking stock. Store the rest of the stock in the fridge over night and skim off the fat next day and save for cooking etc. The remaining jelly can be reheated when needed to add to his chicken meals.

On this bland diet it's likely he won't poo for several days. As soon as he passes a formed stool, you start slowly transferring him off the chicken, a bit at a time each day, reducing the amount of chicken and increasing the cat food.

If you are prepared to order online from Zooplus (as many of us here do) there are good quality foods for him that will cost less than good quality foods from UK pet stores. Go for wet foods that are high in meat protein, no vegetable protein, a good level of fat and low in carbs. You do not need to keep to Kitten foods necessarily as some of the best foods are suitable for all stage of development.

Here's a link to a pinned thread giving the carb content of the good foods from Zooplus :

https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads...-just-the-good-stuff-work-in-progress.440844/

I'd go for Macs, Granatapet, Catz Finefood, Miamor trays, Animonda Vom Feinsten trays, Wild Freedom, Miamor Ragout Royale pouches,

For dry food, I'd feed only a little and put it in a treat ball or a puzzle for him, so he has to work at getting it. Don't leave it down for him to snack on all day. The makes I'd choose would be :-
Orijen
Miaowing Heads,
Wild Freedom,
or Thrive Premium Plus.

^^^Some are sold on Zooplus, some in pet food stores.


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## Xomisscharlotte (Jul 26, 2019)

Thank you for all that information! That’s so helpful and lll have a look at the links when I get time. Yeah I order all I can online so zooplus is fine. 

Regarding his biting I honestly don’t know if it’s a coincidence or something but he has completely stopped and when he has playfully gone to bite again like before, instead of biting really hard he’s licked me instead. Maybe he just finally understood it with a combination of his age, my older kittens behaviour and of trying the usual methods then the gentle bite, or maybe the bite has absolutely nothing to do with it. I don’t know but I still don’t agree with biting kittens. However It would seem that’s completely resolved. Earlier today I really enjoyed playing with a small handheld wand toy with him and I’m so glad we were finally having fun playing together. It was the first time he’s ever done that. 

The litter tray... What you’ve suggested isn’t applicable here. He does use separate trays most of the time for each but since I’m home all the time l’m always checking and scoop roughly every 2nd wee and each poo usually asap. Even when it’s all fresh litter after washing out the trays he still does it on the edges/over the edges. I have to keep the trays immaculate with my youngest son been 18 months old and he likes to copy me scooping the trays if he ever gets a split second when he can he always does, so with him potentially messing around in the litter trays it has to be as clean as I can keep it as well as trying to teach him but that’s a long process. He does know not to scoop etc while the cats are using them though so there’s no negative associations with the trays and there’s loads round the house anyway so if he’s at one when they need to use a tray, they just go to another in the next room. About covering his poo I’ve honestly never come across a cat that doesn’t in a litter tray. I always thought that was how it was supposed to be done. These aren’t my first cats either so I do have a reasonable amount of experience, but he is my first ever pedigree (Ragdoll) and obviously I still have stuff to learn... depending what his poo is like maybe it won’t be so messy if he steps in it or when it’s half and half in the tray while leaving it uncovered.

However your suggestion about too much wee in the trays did make me think about it and he’s done the pooing at the edges ever since he started using the trays here, so perhaps he got into the habit at the breeders. He must have used something while he was there and she said he was litter trained with wood pellets but he wouldn’t go near them at my house which I found odd unless they were a bad memory and he’d been put off them and that issue with litter probably caused the first accident, then for the first week or two when he’d see me with a poo bag scooping the tray or fully changing the litter with a black bag he would jump up and attack me or the bags, not seeming to know what I was doing and unaware by trying to rip the bags he was almost covering himself in dirty litter, which I also thought was a bit weird since surely the breeder would have been cleaning the tray regularly so he would have been used to it. If she wasn’t though it would explain his poo habit and his confusion at what I was doing cleaning the trays. Wouldn’t surprise me if she wasn’t as vigilant taking care of the kittens as she made out based on everything else we know now. 

With the scavenging after he was on hills prescription diet I/d wet food pouches, he seems to appreciate his normal food a lot more now he’s back on that and instead of scavenging with a bowl full with of food, he’s deciding to eat it and not showing much of an interest in our food anymore. Plus he has learnt to recognise we don’t like that behaviour. If he walks toward a plate or something the kids have dropped on the floor while still eating all I have to say is no or his name in a firmer tone than normal and he stops. For the moment his poo seems almost back to normal but if he has trouble again I’ll definitely use that recipe and advice. Thank you again. 

I feel as though the last few replies have been a bit short with me and I’m not sure if I’m just overly sensitive about talking by messages to strangers when things can be taken the wrong way or if I’m right and you all seem annoyed at me/my post/the way I’m treating my kitten. Either way I feel it necessary to just say again thank you everyone for the replies and helpful comments. I would also like to reassure all of you reading this that my kittens are both extremely well cared for and I am not just shouting or scruffing them constantly. They’re like my babies, they both even enjoy being cradled and twist round so I hold them like that when they’re picked up. I am so affectionate, patient and loving with them and usually deal with any undesirable behaviour by distraction or prevention I’ve taught them to come when I call their names, they’ll come to anyone rattling the treat bags, I’ve got both of them used to being brushed, bathed, having claws clipped and we’re getting there with their teeth. They each follow me around the house most of the time and both lay near me or on me as much as they can and honestly they really are so happy here. Even the kids don’t upset them as I’m really strict about how they treat the kittens and won’t tolerate them stressing them out even a little. I’m not some borderline kitten abuser like I feel has been insinuated cos my partner made a mistake and that I scruffed the boy ragdoll kitten. I felt the biting and scavenging were extremely dangerous hence the tougher approach when all the usual methods didn’t help after 6-7 weeks with no change at all. Not forgetting he’s come with all the health issues and behaviour concerns yet I’ve happily taken care of him with various medications administered at crazy schedules, taken him to all of his appointments and paid for him to try and get better no matter what the cost. The reason I’d even asked about giving him back for a refund was cos I felt he needed to be looked after by someone with more time since he wasn’t improving and I wasn’t sure what to do. A lot of people wouldn’t have put up with him for this long and the breeder has been a nightmare to deal with. It was as soon as I got him she suddenly changed nasty and she just is not a nice or caring person at all. 

Sorry for any misunderstandings and I’d love to hear any more advice I’d anyone has any xxx


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## Xomisscharlotte (Jul 26, 2019)

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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Awww such gorgeous kittens they are, I love them both! A very bonny human baby too.  Thank you for sharing those fabulous photos with us. 

With regard to the comments made about scruffing the kitten and biting him, you will appreciate we're a forum of serious cat lovers. We're passionate about cat welfare, as I expect you are too.  When I reply to a post asking for advice on a topic I am conscious it's not just the original poster who will read my answer. Other people browsing the forum, e,.g, new cat owners, whether forum members or non-members, may later read my reply. So I think it's important to clarify in my answer how I feel about all aspects of the information given. I am sorry if any comments came across as stern.

It sounds as though already there have been improvements in the kitten's behaviour, which is very pleasing to hear. I think the little guy is beginning to settle in and adjust to his new home.

You may be right he has some litter tray issues due to inadequate care of the litter trays in the breeder's home. If the trays were not emptied regularly perhaps the little fellow had to stand on the edges of them to avoid getting his little fluffy feet wet. Did you get a look at the set up of the trays etc when you visited the breeder's home?

Some breeders, many catteries and most shelters use the wood pellet litter because it is very cheap. But not all cats like it. At the shelter I help run it is not uncommon for some cats to prefer to use the floor. 

Wood pellet litter needs all emptying out at least once a day and the trays washing before refilling. At the shelter we do this twice day but I know of cases where trays with wood pellet are left for several days, with just the poo scooped out, and thus the trays smell awful. Wood pellet litter is meant to be used with the correct sieve trays so that the urine passes through the sieve into the bottom tray. This avoids the wet feet problem.

Please do keep us updated with how things go, I would love to hear of his progress.


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## Ralphy29621 (Oct 18, 2021)

Xomisscharlotte said:


> Hi Very long post! So sorry! Thanks in advance for anyone who reads and has any advice.
> 
> So, I Have quite a busy house with 3 young children under 7 one with special needs who is home educated but it means we're almost always at home, a 3 year old Labrador and I already have a tuxedo moggy who is 7 months old. 2 months ago I bought a ragdoll kitten and he's now 5 months old. Since buying him we've had no end of problems and from the day we got him he's been poorly with sneezing, nasal and eye discharge and a mix between diarrhoea and loose stools. He's been given various treatment from the vet, prescription food/diet changes and he's still under investigation what's actually wrong with him as nothing is helping. He has already been neutered also. Aside from his health problems, his behaviour is driving us crazy.
> 
> ...


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## Ralphy29621 (Oct 18, 2021)

Hi

I just wondered what happened with your kitten and if he grew out of it? We have a Ragdoll who is 4 months and are having all the same problems. He’s making life quite miserable, meal times are so hard! He’s constantly trying to get food! Good job he’s cute!


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## Ellierose1 (Nov 1, 2021)

Ralphy29621 said:


> Hi
> 
> I just wondered what happened with your kitten and if he grew out of it? We have a Ragdoll who is 4 months and are having all the same problems. He's making life quite miserable, meal times are so hard! He's constantly trying to get food! Good job he's cute!


aww so sorry to hear, have you told your vet about these problems?


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## Ralphy29621 (Oct 18, 2021)

Ellierose1 said:


> aww so sorry to hear, have you told your vet about these problems?


Yes, he had diarrhoea when we got him too eating royal canin kitten food and chicken breast. He was worked, given antibiotics, poo samples and finally the vet realised it was the food. He's on royal canin sensitivity now (2 pouches) but he can't stay on it as it's not suitable long term for kittens so I'm currently mixing in Purina Hypoallergenic dry with the view to move him to that completely. However it says he should only have 35g a day which is nothing! I'm so lost! I've told the vet he asking for food all the time but they keep hoping he will settle down. We can't eat a meal at our breakfast bar as he just jumps up constantly, we could put him down 30x in a meal!


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## Ellierose1 (Nov 1, 2021)

Ralphy29621 said:


> Yes, he had diarrhoea when we got him too eating royal canin kitten food and chicken breast. He was worked, given antibiotics, poo samples and finally the vet realised it was the food. He's on royal canin sensitivity now (2 pouches) but he can't stay on it as it's not suitable long term for kittens so I'm currently mixing in Purina Hypoallergenic dry with the view to move him to that completely. However it says he should only have 35g a day which is nothing! I'm so lost! I've told the vet he asking for food all the time but they keep hoping he will settle down. We can't eat a meal at our breakfast bar as he just jumps up constantly, we could put him down 30x in a meal!


hugs


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## Psygon (Apr 24, 2013)

Ralphy29621 said:


> Yes, he had diarrhoea when we got him too eating royal canin kitten food and chicken breast. He was worked, given antibiotics, poo samples and finally the vet realised it was the food. He's on royal canin sensitivity now (2 pouches) but he can't stay on it as it's not suitable long term for kittens so I'm currently mixing in Purina Hypoallergenic dry with the view to move him to that completely. However it says he should only have 35g a day which is nothing! I'm so lost! I've told the vet he asking for food all the time but they keep hoping he will settle down. We can't eat a meal at our breakfast bar as he just jumps up constantly, we could put him down 30x in a meal!


Your kitten will be asking for food all the time because he is hungry. Kittens are growing and can eat as much as they like in general. When you look at the amount to feed per day and it says 2kg feed 35g, that's to maintain that weight of 2kg. Your rag doll will likely end up much heavier than that and should eat a lot more.

as this is an old thread it would be better if you started a new thread about your kitten (pictures are a must!) and I'm sure lots of the very knowledgable people on here will see if they can help


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