[baby kitten]

I am a new pet owner, I adopted a 7 month old kitten from a rescue shelter. She is spayed and house trained, very affectionate and I think her shyness is fading. She seems to like to rub against everything. Is this normal. Also she is in one room at the moment. Should I let her roam around the entire house now. I had her for 1 1/2 weeks now. I do not know how to adjust now that I've learned she is nocturnal. What is your advice.

[morgaine300]

Hi. First, great that you decided to take home a kitty who had no home. I hope your first experience is a good one.

LOL - I can tell you aren't familiar with cats. They rub on stuff ALL the time! They have lots of scent glands and they are marking things as their territory. I've also heard it means it's something they like, which I guess is logical or why would they want to mark it as theirs? So good if she rubs on you. ;) (It means you've joined the ranks of humans owned by cats.)

They will do all sorts of weird things, so get used to it. They can be a wee bit nuts at times. Just enjoy it and have a good laugh. They're very smart, but also independent. Respect that independence and allow her to just be who she is and do what she wants. (Within your home rules of course. You're certainly allowed to say she can't scratch the furniture or get on the counters or whatever.)

Let her into the whole house. She may not go, but make it available and let her explore on her own terms. She might go back to her original location or find a new "safe harbor." Once they get the nerve to explore, it usually doesn't take them long to decide it's OK and start wandering all over. The last cat I got started very, very shy and reserve and suddenly turned into a little hellion. :p

A squirt bottle and a loud "NO!" work well for training most cats. Some training can be tough, but I've also notice with most of my cats they just suddenly stop a bad behavior out of nowhere, so patience. And giving attention when she's behaving helps.

They also do NOT like change. That's why it takes them time to get comfortable with a new territory. They'll adapt, but they are very much into their routines and it's hard to break their routines. If you move one thing in a room, she'll likely be exploring and sniffing it, to make sure a new enemy didn't arrive.

As for their sleeping habits, she should get used to your schedule. If she bugs you in bed, ignore her and don't give in. She'll learn. There's a difference between spoiling and love. Despite the joking about cats owning us, you really don't have to be a slave to a cat.

Good luck. If you end up with any particular problems, feel free to ask. I'd be curious how things end up going.