# Hello from Artemis's mom!



## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

Hello! I'm new to the catforum community. 

I just recently (about a month ago) rescued an orphaned kitten that I call Artemis. She's a gorgeous, healthy, calico kitten. This is my first kitten (all my cats have adopted me as adults) so I may have some questions along the way as I raise her!

Here are a few pictures of my baby:


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Welcome Bellvillamor to the Forum!!
What a wee little Cutie!! 
Thats what we're here for, so ask away!!


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Welcome Artemis and bellvillamor!
Aww, such sweet photos of her! How old is she now? 
You're in good hands here at this forum--lots of members are quite knowledgable! 
Hope you find it enjoyable as I have, too!


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

She is so pretty! She looks so pensive, like an old soul!


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## BrittyBear (Feb 4, 2014)

Aww she is so cute!!! Thanks for the pics  and welcome!!! I hope you find the forum helpful  

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## Kneazles (Nov 18, 2013)

A big "aaaawwwww how cute" for Artemis!

And I have to say, as owner to Hera, Zeus, and Athena, that I am in love with her name.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

Kneazles said:


> A big "aaaawwwww how cute" for Artemis!
> 
> And I have to say, as owner to Hera, Zeus, and Athena, that I am in love with her name.


I had an outdoor cat growing up named Nyx! I really love the god/goddess names for them.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

TabbCatt said:


> Welcome Artemis and bellvillamor!
> Aww, such sweet photos of her! How old is she now?
> You're in good hands here at this forum--lots of members are quite knowledgable!
> Hope you find it enjoyable as I have, too!


We got her at about a week, so i'd say about five! The vet was never able to give us a sure age. When we got her her eyes were just half open though. She was a little staving thing, i'm proud of how big she's getting!


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

A big thank you to everyone! She's a handful, so plenty of stories and questions will surely be followed. Here's one, she seems to have known to use the litter and uses nothing but that! I know people say their mothers usually teach them, so i'm glad instinct took over! Do kittens usually train themselves?

Also, I know some people say kitten hair/fur length isn't very apparent until the two month-ish mark, i'm wondering how much truth their is to that? My boyfriend got his cat at around 5 weeks and says his was already much less fluffy then she is (it's hard to see in the pictures because they're phone pictures but she seems to get fluffier with time,) if she was going to be a longer shorthair or "medium hair" when would I know? her tail hairs are also slowly getting longer. 

Also, I was just told that because she has spots on her darker markings it makes her a torbie? How accurate is that? Sorry for all the silly questions already.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Nope, definitely a calico like my bratz. And super freaking adorable!!!!


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

marie73 said:


> Nope, definitely a calico like my bratz. And super freaking adorable!!!!



thank you! your cats are beautiful as well!!! Your longhaired calico is beautiful :catsm:catsm


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## Haloy1 (Nov 5, 2011)

Very cute


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

Haloy1 said:


> Very cute


thank you!!


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## Sillycowsgomoo (Mar 4, 2013)

OMG She's so cute!!!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

bellvillamor said:


> your cats are beautiful as well!!! Your longhaired calico is beautiful


Aawww, thanks! If you click on the link beneath my signature, you'll see Cali's baby picture. Your little Artemis could turn out to have long hair, too.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

marie73 said:


> Aawww, thanks! If you click on the link beneath my signature, you'll see Cali's baby picture. Your little Artemis could turn out to have long hair, too.


Oh wow! her baby picture reminds me SO MUCH of our Artemis. I think Artemis will be at least medium in hair length, her tail and ear hair seems to be getting longer. She's still little and all kitten fuzz but she has little long hairs throughout!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Yup, I had the little Spike Twins for a while, then their hair softened and filled in.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

Sillycowsgomoo said:


> OMG She's so cute!!!


Thank you!!


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

marie73 said:


> Yup, I had the little Spike Twins for a while, then their hair softened and filled in.


I'm excited to see how my little one will grow. I've never had a longhair! Did you groom your twins from when they were small?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

They've groomed each other from Day 1. I do comb them out (less often than I should, probably). Charlee likes it, Cali doesn't care for it, and Cleo HATES it. But it's less hair for them to ingest doing it themselves or to each other. You should start doing it a tiny bit at a time and get Artemis used to it. Charlee used to hate it and now she turns into flat cat and lets me comb to my heart's content.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

How young do I get her used to it? It seems silly to me to try now with her being so small?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I would wait until it fills out a little before using a grooming comb. You could use a brush that's really soft - not to get any hair, but to get her used to being groomed (softly). My girls do like being scratched a little on their little cheeks with a brush. It's their favorite place to get scratches from their Mom.

Note to BrittyBear - face cheeks, not butt cheeks. :grin:


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

That sounds like a good idea, I can probably find a soft baby brush for now. She loves attention so I have a feeling she won't mind too much.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Others will pipe in if she's too young for even that, but I think it would be okay. My twins adopted me when they were 9 weeks old.

http://www.catforum.com/forum/41-meet-my-kitty/108999-cali-charlee-home.html


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## BrittyBear (Feb 4, 2014)

Lolz i didnt say anything xD i knew you meant face  gosh 

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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Sorry, couldn't resist! :grin:


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## BrittyBear (Feb 4, 2014)

Luckies, Mystery doesnt like brushes. He gets hypnotised if a blow dryer gets turned on though

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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Bellvillamor, Marie is right! A soft little brush would be perfect! Also start gently messaging her little feet so she gets used to them being handled!
Will make it so much easier later when you start to trim her claws!


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

10cats2dogs said:


> Bellvillamor, Marie is right! A soft little brush would be perfect! Also start gently messaging her little feet so she gets used to them being handled!
> Will make it so much easier later when you start to trim her claws!


My friend is a vet tech and keeps making sure I am getting her used to her feet being touched and okay with being held in a scruff. I always feel so bad though! she gets so sad when it's being done.

You also have a little long haired calico! any baby pictures?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I've never heard of getting a cat used to being scruffed.


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## BrittyBear (Feb 4, 2014)

Scruffing is what moms do to kittens right... i never had to get my cats used to it. Only time i ever have to use it is during baths though xD i thought scruffing a cat made them instinctually stay still. Ive never heard of having to get them used to it either. 

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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Yeah, that kind of defeats the purpose of scruffing.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

marie73 said:


> I've never heard of getting a cat used to being scruffed.



Not used to but if a cat was never scruffed and reacts really badly to it it'll be that much harder on the vet techs and vet when they have to. I know, at least where I go and where my friend works, they are scruffed while their nails are trimmed.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

BrittyBear said:


> Scruffing is what moms do to kittens right... i never had to get my cats used to it. Only time i ever have to use it is during baths though xD i thought scruffing a cat made them instinctually stay still. Ive never heard of having to get them used to it either.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Some cats react really violently/angrily to being scruffed, not all stay instinctively calm. But yeah, their moms scruff them. My kitten has been hand raised since it was a week old, though.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

OT The twins were adorable kittens!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

OMG could she be any cuter???!!! I squealed out loud when I saw the first pic, which I absolutely LOVE. She looks like a wise old lady just sitting and having a chat with everyone else.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

spirite said:


> OMG could she be any cuter???!!! I squealed out loud when I saw the first pic, which I absolutely LOVE. She looks like a wise old lady just sitting and having a chat with everyone else.


Thank you!! She is SUCH a pretty girl. She's always been precious but she is really growing into her face.


Question, everyone. I know this is way off topic BUT do any of your kittens/cat meow/mew before they get ready to use their litter or while using it sometimes? At first I was scared of a UTI but she doesn't do it when peeing, she just sort of announces when she is about to use the litter or when she is done? She also gets really hyper afterwards and just starts being silly.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Mine never have, though I believe some people here have had that experience, without it necessarily indicating a UTI, especially when the kitties meow before going into the box.

Does she do this before she poops and before she pees, or just one or the other? 

One of mine sometimes gets a little crazy before she poops, and then very often gets crazy afterwards. My mother once asked why I thought that was odd, since humans feel better after they poop too. LOL.


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

Pooping, mostly! She gets SO hyper after she does.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Yep, my Celia is like that. It's like the idea that she's going to poop soon is exciting, so she runs around madly, and then the actual pooping is three times as exciting, so she runs around three times as long and three times as madly. 

Then again, Celia has had trouble with constipation, so maybe she gets more excited than other cats when she's pooped.

If your kitty doesn't look like she's straining, and her pee and poo and normal, then it's probably nothing to worry about.

Gah, she's really too cute for words. At the risk of OD'ing on cute, I'd love to see more pics of her!


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

spirite said:


> Yep, my Celia is like that. It's like the idea that she's going to poop soon is exciting, so she runs around madly, and then the actual pooping is three times as exciting, so she runs around three times as long and three times as madly.
> 
> Then again, Celia has had trouble with constipation, so maybe she gets more excited than other cats when she's pooped.
> 
> ...


That's exactly how Art acts! And thank you 
sure!! :kittyball 
here are some more:


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG that second picture in particular!

I actually just checked to see where you live...Good thing you're on the other side of the country, or you'd have to keep a serious eye on your kitty!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

spirite said:


> eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> OMG that second picture in particular!
> 
> I actually just checked to see where you live...Good thing you're on the other side of the country, or you'd have to keep a serious eye on your kitty!


Spirite, I second that!! That is one cutie pie kitty! (And she is on my end of the US! )


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## bellvillamor (Apr 21, 2014)

Hahaha! I don't know what i'd do without her, so no stealing! She's become a little spoiled brat and has taken ownership of me quite quickly.


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