The Joys of Teething

         Kaida will be 5 months old on Friday. We've recently noticed that she's showing the signs of teething. She's not eating as much of her Kitten Chow. She's still eating some, just not much. We even mixed in warm water to soften it up, but that didn't help. We've been giving her some wet food for the meantime until the teeth come in. The strange thing is, she doesn't seem to have any problem with her very crunch treats. She's always up for some clicker time, no matter what the texture of the reward is. 

      She's also very vocal about her discomfort. She's been crying a lot more recently, especially when any of us leave the house. I've taken to sitting with her and massaging her jaw-she seems to enjoy that. We also purchased new toys and put them in the freezer. The Petstages Dental Chews were a big hit-now I just have to figure out where they went.

     The biggest event of the past two days has been the return of the leash! Yesterday we had our longest walk since she's been home. We walked out onto the deck, down the steps, all around our house, down the stone stairs to the lakefront, onto our dock and then back up to our house. We even hung out on the dock for a couple minutes. I didn't have my camera with me because I didn't know we were going to get that far. I will bring it with me next time. 

    Since I don't have a picture of the triumphant conquering of the dock, here's one from the day after the fireworks. Told you that day tired her out!

The Worst Day Ever for a Kitten...

I learned something today. Kittens, vet visits, excursions to new places, fireworks, and new people should not be mixed-especially on the same day! Let me explain.
This morning was Kaida's second trip to the vet since coming home. She was due for one more vaccine, and we also set up the appointment for her spay surgery. Since her last visit Kaida has gained exactly one pound. She's still petite, but at least she is growing. I'm also happy to report that our newly purchased hard carrier works much better than the Petco bag that had a built-in escape route.
Kaida is actually more afraid of the car than she is of the vet's office. She cried the entire drive to the office, and the entire drive home. She was perfectly fine while we were there. Barely flinched when they gave her the shot.
What I failed to account for when I set up this appointment is that tonight was also the annual fireworks display launched over the lake behind our house. I like to refer to this event as our "fake Fourth of July". It's become a tradition for us to have people over (not many, but a few) and watch the display since our lakefront house gives us the perfect view from our dock.
Two weeks ago we had a major thunderstorm roll through the area, and she barely even woke up from her nap. So I didn't think the fireworks would be much of an issue. After all, thunderstorms and fireworks are pretty similar when you think about it.
Since we were spending most of the afternoon outside cleaning up, we also decided to try the leash and harness again. She did better than she did the previous time I tried to put it on her. She tolerated it for a good 1/2 hour before she had finally had enough. Last time, we took her into the front yard. Today was her first foray into the backyard.

We even carried her down and showed her the lake, but that didn't last long. The rough, choppy water was a bit too much for her.

So just to recap, by 5:30 pm this kitten had been in a carrier, been in a car, been to the vet, gotten a shot, been back in the carrier/car, and been taken out into the backyard which for her is brand new territory. Then people started coming. I have to say, she handled this the best out of everything. She wasn't exactly begging anybody to pick her up, but she didn't run away and hide, either.

And then...

For the first time tonight, I saw fireworks through the eyes of an animal. Kaida obviously has no idea that fireworks are a form of celebration and meant to be enjoyed. All she knows is that for half an hour, the world sounded like it was exploding outside. My mom actually went inside during the display to check on her. She was hiding in our downstairs bathroom, hunched over. Then, of course, once it was all over, all the new people (who had arrived in small groups) all came back into the house at once. I could tell she was conflicted. She wanted to investigate, but also wanted to run for the hills. 

So yeah, today was pretty much Kaida's worst day ever. 

High-Tech Kitty!

          Kaida is officially a member of the family now. While she's technically been a member of the family since the night we brought her home, over the past couple of days she has shown us that she's completely accepted what being a part of this family is all about.

       We're a pretty high-tech bunch in our house, so I guess it's to be expected that Kaida wants in on all the electronic action. She loves our i-Pads the most. We do have all the cat apps installed. My personal favorite is one called "Paint for Cats". A little rainbow mouse runs across the screen, and as the cat bats at the screen to try and catch it, each tap of her paw leaves a splotch of color. After a few minutes, you have a customized piece of artwork created by your cat. 

One of Kaida's many artistic masterpieces made with "Paint for Cats"

        But Kaida is fascinated with screens in general, whether they're displaying "cat entertainment" or not. When I'm reading on my iPad or watching videos on my laptop, she'll find a way to give herself the best view. In the case of my laptop, however, that means directly on top of the keyboard. I've had a couple of shocks from her standing on the "volume up" key while I'm watching something and causing the volume to shoot to the maximum level. 

     The one problem with this has been her obsession with all the wires that go along with all these devices, especially headphone wires. I'm constantly having to pull headphone cords out of her mouth. Power cords seem to attract her less, thankfully. I think she somehow knows that they're dangerous.  

       

      Luckily, though, Kaida is also a fan of my camera, or at least it's wrist strap.

Fun and Games

             Things are going really, really well. Kaida is pretty much settled in, and is overall a well-behaved kitty. She doesn't really scratch at "forbidden" objects, although I have noticed some pulling from her jumping onto and off of furniture. She rarely intentionally claws objects other than her scratchers, and even then a few good strokes with each paw are enough to satisfy her. Her "scratch" need is very easily fulfilled. 

             She also hasn't shown very much, if any, aggression. I have next to no scratch marks on my hands and arms. I do, however, have a few good ones on my legs and back thanks to one of Kaida's favorite games.

             Kaida is too little at this point to launch herself onto our kitchen counters. So, whenever anyone is in the kitchen (whether it be to make a meal or clean up or simply watch TV) she will wander around our feet and meow to be picked up. If we do not respond appropriately to this request (hey, it's hard to eat breakfast with a kitten in one arm!) she then plays a game I have named "Human Ladder".

            "Human Ladder" works thusly. Kaida launches herself upward and digs her claws into either your leg or your back to get a grip. Then she pulls herself up until she can jump from you onto whatever elevated surface she was eyeing from the floor. Kaida only "wins" about one out of every 5 games of "Human Ladder" because usually the shock of kitty claws suddenly digging into my thigh or back is enough to make me jerk, and that jerk is enough to cause her to lose her grip (especially since the vet gave her a much-needed nail trimming). But the odds being against her doesn't stop Kaida from trying at every opportunity. 

            Of course, we have also found many games that are fun for Kaida and us alike. A new one I have named "the shadow game", This is best broken out during the 15% of the day when Kaida is, for lack of a better term, possessed. I walk from one corner of our first floor to the other, and Kaida sprints back and forth to catch up with me. In one corner is an old rocking chair, and she'll literally launch herself into the chair so fast that she rocks herself. This game is especially good for using up extra energy when my arm is sore from dangling cat teasers above her head. About 20 rounds of "shadow" is enough to tire her out. 

        I've also started working with Kaida on some clicker training. It was slow going at first, which I'm sure was because of me and not her. But right now we're working on two commands (coming when her name is called and standing up on two legs) and I'd say it's going pretty well. She's about 80% of the way there on coming when I call her name. Getting her attention is the hardest part of that one. I just started the "up" trick tonight, and although she did it every time I don't know how much of her response was because she was going directly after the treat in my hand rather than working for the clicker sound. 

       No pictures tonight, sorry. It's hard to manage a camera when you've got a clicker in one hand and a handful of treats in the other. More pictures in the next post!