All right just when it seemed like the sailing would be smooth after getting the cats to accept each other, little Olly has shown a new color. Over the last few days we I haven't had a problem with him eating, which I have been a close part of every time,petting him, helping him get the food. He is so young that he is still only eating soft foods. Yesterday evening though when I was feeding him he gave one short little kitten huff hiss, but that wasn't too bad. Well this morning at breakfast my sweet Olly turned down right viscous!! He bit me kind of hard once when I was pushing the food to the center of the dish because it was so spread out he was having trouble getting it, then he bit me a second time hard enough to draw blood both times. I made him eat from my fingers for the rest of the meal and at first he even growled while he was eating from my hand, even though he's done it before!! What happened? Is it because he's grown more comfortable in his new home? How do I nip this behavior in the bud? I haven't had a kitten in a long time and I'm not sure how to discipline a kitten correctly and I certainly don't want him growing into a food aggressive cat! Please help!

I don't think he's aggressive. He's still very young, even a bit young to have been weened. He doesn't understand yet that you were trying to help him. When kittens compete with each other to nurse, and then to get the food mom provides, the competition is stiff, and it's too soon for him to have grown out of that mentality yet. Honestly, I'd day your best bet is to keep your fingers out his bowl when he's eating!

Really, this isn't something you should even give a second thought. He's a baby, and he's still only beginning to get to know you. In time he'll realize that food time isn't a competition anymore and he'll lighten up. There's no way for him to know yet that he doesn't have to fight in order to get a full belly.

Ps: It's great that you're being so attentive though. It's nice to hear. You're being a very good mom/dad (sorry, I don't know which!).

Okay, thanks Akoue! So hel's probably outgrow this behavior? I was worried because I know food aggression in an animal can be a real problem to fix. I don't want to get bitten when he's older, or for the cats to get into a fight over food one day. One more thing, Hefty has grown to tolerate completely if not like the little guy (You should have seen how upset he got when I gave Olly a bath and he mewed out distress cries and annoyance), would it be bad to bring in another at this point. My conscious is eating away at me for leaving his brother behind, and since if you adopt an animal when its time for them to be spayed or neutered you get a 50 dollars off voucher, making it only 10 dollars for the surgery and I would like to go back for him, but I'm worried about offsetting the new found harmony.

Update: Olly and Hefty are cuddling on the bed as I type! If only the digital camera hadn't busted! Is there anyway to get a phone's camera pics onto a computer?

I agree with Akoue completely. Years ago I tempted a feral kitten (4 weeks old) into my house with tuna. She acted in a way very similar to Ollie. After a month or two, she began to associate food with me and getting petted. She turned out to be an awesome cat.

Getting the other kitten from the pound will make for constant kitten play in your house. The kittens may bond with each other more than with you. If you really want to do it, make sure that you can provide for both of them financially.

I love the updates!

I think it's fine to go back for Olly's brother. Now that Olly and Hefty are bonding, Olly cann help Hefty get to know his brother (he will remember him as soon as he smells him). As simoneaugie says, if you can swing it financially, I think it's a great idea. Get the introductions over in one fell swoop and then let them settle in together.

I have six cats at the moment, all former strays, and each of them is much closer to me than to any of the others. What I've found is that young males seek out other, older males, to bond with. Between the ages of one and three they seem to outgrow this a bit and have turned their attention from each other to me. They are still very, very close with each other, mind you, it's just that I have become the focus of their attention. Remember that males are like dogs inasmuch as they are very social (actually females are too, but in a slightly different way) and they have a kind of pack mentality. You'll become the pack leader, the one they all look to. They aren't the same as dogs, though: There often isn't an "alpha", so don't do with cats the sorts of things one would do with dogs in order to assert your dominance--they won't respond well to it. Just be affectionate, discipline them when it's called for, and spend lots of time with them (interacting and just being around). It takes cats longer to bond than it does with dogs, but they will see you as the navel of their world. If you're okay with it, I also suggest letting them sleep with you. This is a hugely important social ritual for cats: You all go to bed together, they groom themselves and each other, and you are right there in the thick of it, and then everyone goes to sleep together. Social grooming is an essential bonding ritual for cats, so making yourself a part of that by having them on the bed with you will deepen the bonds among you. Plus, it's just fun!

Pay attention to the head-butts. This is a sign of affection among males, and if you see them giving each other head-butts and rubbing their faces you know that they're becoming good friends. The same goes with you: When you pet them, reach for their cheeks so they can butt your hand. This lets them scent-mark you and it is something they interpret as a sign of affection.

One other thing: Since you will have three males (I hope!), make sure to give them some canned food every day (a third of a can each, twice a day is plenty--i.e. a total of two cans a day), since dry food is dehydrating and can lead to urinary tract problems for males. These problems can be serious, and even life-threatening, so you might want to get them used to canned food in the morning and at night. Then you can put out a bowl of dry for them to munch on in between (the kittens will probably need more at first, until they finish growing). You probably already know this, but just in case, I thought I'd mention it.

One last thing occurred to me: Get them used to what it means when you nod (yes/it's okay) and when you shake your head (no). I've learned from my male cats over the years that they respond very well to head-gestures (also a pointed finger as a warning). They often even stop what they're doing to see if I nod or shake my head. It's come in really handy, so I thought you might want to do it if you haven't already.

Thanks Akoue! I have to say after simon's post I was beginning to second guess myself. I didn't want Olly to bond to his brother instead of me. I'm already his favorite. He prefers to climb onto my chest to go to sleep and you can hear him purr half way across a room. I would like for him to sleep with us one day, but I fear he is still too small right now. Our bed is supported on a large wooden frame raised about 3 feet off the ground and I don't want him to fall or jump off. There's no easy way up or down for him.

Headbutting is actually how Hefty suckered up in! We were at the humane society and I was looking at a pretty she-cat when my husband pointed out Hefty and said "Aw, look how fat he is." so we went to visit him and since they said it was okay we opened his cage door to pet him and he immediately headbutted me on the cheek and quickly won me over. He's lost some weight since we got him, now he's only 14 lbs, but he's still a big boy!

Olly is on canned food right now. He gets fed a small bit every 4-5 hours since he never eats much at one time, and Hefty gets any that leftover, which suits him just fine. Normally he wouldn't eat the flavors he has been (he doesn't like fish anything strangely, and hates tuna) but since it was someone else's I guess it makes the taste better. I've also been giving Olly a small portion of kitten milk a day, since if he was with mom he'd still be drinking a little. Since I started with that he seems to have more energy. Is that okay? I'm such a worry wart! I just don't want to do anything wrong! The last two time I've had kittens they were orphan litters and I bottled raised them but due to where I lived I couldn't keep them. I wasn't suppose to have them at all, but what am I suppose to do? Leave them in the cactus bush motherless to starve? Maybe be picked off by something else first? No way! I think the last litter was seven or eight years ago. Its amazing to see how big the little runt of that litter got! My aunt took him and wow! He makes Hefty look like Olly! Not only is he built bigger but he's 25 lbs!!

It sounds like you're doing everything right. Yay!

Having Olly's brother around won't stop hiim from bonding with you. He may seek out his brothers more for awhile, but that's actually a really good thing. Olly and his brother are still VERY young and they have a lot they need to learn from Hefty.

One thing you could do about the bed is have something next to it that they can use to help them get up (a box or something). Believe me, they won't need it for very long. If you get Olly's brother (which I really hope you do), having everyone together on the bed promotes bonding in a big, big way. Not just with each other but with you.

Be sure to train the kittens not to rush at the door. The last you want is anyone getting outside. One thing you can do is put your open hand right in front of their faces and back them up. They'll learn what this means and it will come in handy as they get older. Cats herd each other with body slams, but you can get them used to being directed by just using the palm of your hand.

It's good to be a bit of a worry wart. They deserve the care and concern. Just remember that as you're training them they're training you. Be a good student and they'll teach you tons. I know my kids sure have.

Be sure to let us know what you decide about Olly's brother. If you do, don't be surprised if they're a little reserved with each other at first. They'll remember each other, but by now both are covered with unfamiliar smells, and cats trusts their noses over their eyes. Once they figure out what's going on, they're going to be overjoyed to be re-united. I hope his brother is still there and that you can take him in.

About 15 minutes ago marks the arrival of our newest addition, Rasputin (Putty), Olly's brother. Things have gone really well! Olly is overjoyed to have his brother again and Hefty accepted him right off the bat this time!!

GREAT NEWS!!

This is really exciting, happy news. Thank you so much for letting us know. I'm absolutely tickled.

I'm dying to hear about Olly's reaction. Did they recognize each other right off the bat?

And it sounds like Hefty is a great guy. Give him a hug for me please.

Well when I came in I set Putty on the bed and woke Olly from his nap on the blanket in the closet and set him next to his brother, and he didn't notice and tried to crawl on me, so I set him down again, and he still didn't notice, so I put him next to his brother and pushed his face into Putty gently and he smelled him and jerked his head back, kind of cocked it, then pounced. For the next like 15 minutes poor Putty couldn't get a moments peace. Since everything went well I brought Hefty into the room and set him down on the bed, then he walked up to Putty, sniffed him, and trotted off to do his own thing calmly. He's sitting on the end of the bed now watching the little ones play, he was sleeping but that hug kind of ruined his cat nap. ;)

Can you imagine the joy they must feel to be reunited? Here they were, in a strange place with lots of other unfamiliar animals and people. And then Olly is taken away, leaving Putty to wonder what happened to his brother and what was going to happen to him. Probably feeling terrified and defeated. Then someone comes and takes him out of his cage, in a car, someone he doesn't know and his mind just had too be racing trying to make sense of what was happening to him, not knowing whether this was a good thing or bad. And then you take him into this strange house with still more strange animals. And, wait, is that my brother? It is! It is! It's my brother!

You just did a really good thing.

Thanks. :) It took him a few minutes to settle in, especially when the dogs were introduced since they are comparatively the size of mountains and very interested in him. They've been following Olly like addicts since we got him, rarely straying more then a few feet, until now. Now Olly's boring since there's something new again. With Olly's help he quickly got over most of the fear, seeing his brother strut around their feet like a lion helped give him confidence.

I've really enjoyed reading these adventures! (I thought I had the only cat named Rasputin... ) My cats and I regularly head-butt (with our foreheads to exchange intelligence). Akoue is correct about the "No!" and "Yes!" commands (don't complicate it with any other words). I used to sleep with (my) Rasputin when he was the only cat for a while, but when he started snuggling into my neck during the night and drooling into my shoulder and when we rescued Thomas Jefferson who is a restless sleeper and who marched over my body all night, I decided to ban the cats from the bedroom. Now the four of them gather in the hallway at first light and doze until someone gets up to make coffee. Strident meows fill the house until those little cans get opened and breakfast is served.

At what age is is best to start kittens on their shots, and when is it best to spay and neuter? I know with puppies they generally start on their shots at around 6 weeks, and get spayed/neutered at 6 months, but is it the same with kittens?

Spaying and neutering is still 6 months. As far as shots, vets often go on body weight. If they were in a shelter (they were, right?) you probably want to get them to the vet pretty quickly in order to have them tested (for fHIV, etc) and checked for worms. Shelters are riddled with communicable diseases of all sorts. So you might want to get them both in really really soon and ask then what your vet recommends re:vaccinations.

Things still going well?

Those are the ages when my cats had those things done. Kittens can be neutered as early as 6 weeks, but that's usually because they are ferals or strays and may never be around humans so closely again, like a shelter manager would take them to a volunteer's farm for lack of adopters or because they are TOO feral.

Well the babies have viisted the vet and everything for the most part is okay. Putty has a little sneeze but with the Clavamax it should clear right up. They are otherwise healthy as horses, and they sound like a whole herd of them when they run across the room. Its amazing that two 6 week old kittens can walk louder then 2 full grown huskies!

Is everyone getting along okay? Any scrapes or tiffs or hissy-fits?