[krazykat]

I adopted my kitty when he was about two or three days old. He had his eyes closed and everything and he was in a cardboard box in a supermarket in Chinatown, New York City.
The kitties were wailing in despair, and as I soon found out, hunger. The mother had apparently never come back. I wondered if she had abandoned them or died. It would be sad either way.
I then adopted one kitty and took him home and fed him with little baby bottles, and I learned to love him profoundly.
He is now almost a year old and he seems normal to me (I haven't had cats before this).

I was just wondering if any of you guys know about problems that could result (whether health or behavior related) if a cat is separated from his mommy so early? :?:

 

[Tiber]

the main ones i've heard are.. the whole needing thing, and drooling/sucking when they purr... and that seems to be a common one since most cats seem to do this. It seems theyre not really weened untill after theyre 12 weeks old, however most people only wait till their 8 weeks old.

 

[Sol]

Behavingdisorders that can occur is sucking at clothes, ears, fingers etc(basically anything). Chewing at things when they get older, things like cables, furniture, fingers, toes everything. Aggression caused by insecurity. Basically they tend to get more insecure than a properly weened cat and insecurity can make them pee at the wrong places, show agression towards strangers and a lot more strange behaviors.

12 weeks is a good age to adopt a cat. At this age most of the kitties are properly weened. Between the age of 8 and 12 weeks, mama cat teaches the kittens a lot of social behavior and during this time the kittens grow up to be independent indivuduals.

 

[bbkings]

One of mine I adopted at 2 1/2 weeks. It was the same as yours only he was at the pound. He was wailing and scared trying to push through the cage. My heart broke for him and he came home with me. His little ears were still turned down and his now green eyes were as blue as could be.
At almost 2 he doesn't nurse our fingers, or anything else anymore, but he does drool when he purrs and gets loved. Yes he is very insecure and passive. He's an incredibly sensitive cat.
I was told that bottle fed babies tend to be slow learners, I asked the vet and she said he isn't slow, just special. hee hee He is able to find his way to get away with doing things he isn't allowed to do.
Our problem with him is very agressive tail attacking. I'm told it's because he was never acclimated to littermates and sees his tail as a threat. He doesn't realize it's his and it makes him miserable. He is on a type of kitty prozac for it. I hate giving him drugs especially since they don't stop it, just calm it a little, but for now I have no other options.
Other than his daily "attacks" he is the sweetest little (16 1/2 pound little) guy I have ever met.
Love,
barb *