[nastusha799]

HI everybody =) I got white 6 weeks old female kitten (yesterday). I have a lot of questions for you guys =) I hope that you do not mind answering them =)

1. We went to the vet and they found ear mites ..so they put some medicine in kitten's ears. Yesterday we found out that kitty not reacting to any noise(she meows and her ears are moving)...is she deaf? or may be medication causing it?

2. What's the best way to make her go to the litter box?

3. I have another cat at home...we got her almost a year ago ..and she was feral..now she's becoming friendlier and friendlier every day but she is still semiferral. She wasn't happy at all when we got baby kitten. She was afraid of the baby kitten and was hiding in her cat tree for the whole day ..she didn't even eat or go to the litter box...What's the best way to introduce her to a new baby kitten?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Hana]

Hi there!
I'll try to help you out as best as I can....as far as I know, it's very common for white cats to be deaf. I think you can have the vet check her out properly for it, but I wouldn't be surprised if she is. Here's a link I found for you - http://www.messybeast.com/whitecat.htm
To make her go in the litter box, generally you just have to place the kitty in the box, make sure she knows where it is, and she'll go there. If she seems to be unsure, I'd put her in it a couple of times, just so she knows where it is.
And as for the introduction - I've read here that putting vanilla scent on the cats necks is a good idea - that way it masks the smell of the cats, and the introductions are easier.
I hope I've helped somewhat, but I'm sure there are others who can give you better answers!!

 

[ospunkyo]

I've heard that kittens that are all white can be deaf. I almost adopted a set of white twin kittens that were deaf but I lived too far away - that was disappointing. Anyway - try a loud clap while she is not looking your way - any reaction? Try the same thing while she is napping to see if she wakes up.

She should get the hang of the litter box very quickly. A little bit after she eats, place her in the box, move her paw in a scratching motion. Make sure she has her own box - preferably a low sided box.

Did you do any kind of separation when you brought her home? It's not recommended to bring home a new cat and just release it into the resident cat's territory. You will need to do a careful, and possibly slow, introduction. There is a great, short article here: http://littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintroductions on cat introductions. It will answer many of your questions, and give you a great method to start with. There are also a ton of threads here on catforum about introductions - do a search for "introductions".

Good luck and post pictures when you can of that little sweetie!!

 

[nastusha799]

I read that kittens are deaf till 6weeks of age...is that true?

 

[ospunkyo]

Kittens are born blind and deaf, but by 2 or 3 weeks of age they should respond to sound.

I just found this website that has a list of ways to test for deafness in cats:
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/brini/whtdeaf/advice.htm

 

[nastusha799]

Thanks a lot!

 

[ospunkyo]

Your welcome - please keep us posted on what you find out...

 

[drjean]

If her ears are moving, she is responding to sound and isn't entirely deaf. I'd give her a little time to respond to the mite medication and then recheck her.

Cheers,
Dr. Jean