Melishia
Lairian
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2018
- Messages
- 6
- Points
- 4
Hi there, my name’s Mel!
Forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong place (says every person making their first post)!
Here’s a little background on my new little man. 2 nights ago I came across the cutest little sphynx at the SPCA and I absolutely had to take him home. They said his name was Gollum which IMO is not a very flattering name, and so my partner renamed him Marvin. Some might not find that very flattering either but I lost that argument and so Marvin it is. Plus he seems to respond well to it.
Marvin was listed as a 2 year old aggressive male who was brought in by his previous owner after he reportedly bit her. There were comments in his SPCA file saying he was very difficult to handle/manipulate during his evaluations. His file also stated that the vet removed 9 teeth (!!!) due to tartar buildup. Poor baby. He’s on soft food for 10 days and meds for 3. They later told us he was 6 years old and not 2. I feel like because of his teeth, 6 years old makes more sense but we're still not sure.
Marvin was very curious when he first came in and I think he’s adapting very well.
We learned very quickly that Marvin is the sweetest. He has 2 modes. His first mode is very active where he’s running through the house, jumping on the counters (No Marvin!), playing with his toys, running towards loud noises, talking to us very loudly and attempting to claw our brand new couch. His second mode is burrito sphynx, where he crawls into the folds of his soft blanket and sleeps.
I can’t figure out if he actually was aggressive with his previous owner or not. He’s a cuddle monster. Marvin literally sits perched on my boyfriend’s shoulder while he’s at his computer. If either of us are on the couch or in the bed he’s right there, finding a spot to curl up on.
The only incident we’ve had so far was that Marvin growled once on his first night in our home when I gently scooped him up from the kitchen counter and put him on the floor. He protested a little and that was that. He still doesn’t understand ‘no’ when it comes to kitchen counters but now he doesn’t even mind when I scoop him up and put him down. I can tell he's not very comfortable with being picked up though.
SO!
It’s very clear to me that I need to regularly bathe Marvin, as well as clean his eyes and ears.
I have no idea if he’s used to this process or not. I made a weak attempt to bathe him in the kitchen sink last night but he didn’t want to go in the water so instesd of physically putting him in the water I settled on wiping him down with a facecloth. He was very stiff and I didn’t even get anywhere near his little toes (he kept them curled underneath him) and his claws are absolutely caked in gunk. The face cloth felt very ineffective. I’m going to attempt to bathe him in the bath tonight.
I’ve read about using coconut oil around his cheeks and neck to help loosen the dirt and moisturize before he goes in the water. Could this be used on the rest of his body as well to loosen dirt? I’m going to purchase Johnson’s baby shampoo to wash him, as well as a gentle exfoliating glove for the washing. Would you guys recommend a sponge over the glove? Since his little toes are really dirty I was thinking of getting a really soft bristled toothbrush to really get in there. Thoughts on that?
I also read that rinsing him with a mixture of water and vinegar removes any traces of soap left on him. Do you guys find this necessary?
And lastly I’m going to purchase some alcohol/fragrance free baby wipes as a last resort should he put up a wild fight during bath time. I heard that some people prefer to fill the water up to the neck for difficult sphynx. Would you recommend it or would you stick with belly height?
I’m currently reading up on brands of hard food for him to transition to once the 10 days of soft food are up. I personally prefer a 100% hard food diet for the pets I’ve had because I find that they tend to have less tartar buildup during their checkups. What are your guys’ favourite food brands and treats? What kind of eating habit does your cat have? I believe they have high metabolisms. Do you have food available to them all day long or do you feed them at specific times? Tell me everything, guys!
I’m open to comments, suggestions, recommendations, tips, stories and experiences.
Thanks for reading !!
Forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong place (says every person making their first post)!
Here’s a little background on my new little man. 2 nights ago I came across the cutest little sphynx at the SPCA and I absolutely had to take him home. They said his name was Gollum which IMO is not a very flattering name, and so my partner renamed him Marvin. Some might not find that very flattering either but I lost that argument and so Marvin it is. Plus he seems to respond well to it.
Marvin was listed as a 2 year old aggressive male who was brought in by his previous owner after he reportedly bit her. There were comments in his SPCA file saying he was very difficult to handle/manipulate during his evaluations. His file also stated that the vet removed 9 teeth (!!!) due to tartar buildup. Poor baby. He’s on soft food for 10 days and meds for 3. They later told us he was 6 years old and not 2. I feel like because of his teeth, 6 years old makes more sense but we're still not sure.
Marvin was very curious when he first came in and I think he’s adapting very well.
We learned very quickly that Marvin is the sweetest. He has 2 modes. His first mode is very active where he’s running through the house, jumping on the counters (No Marvin!), playing with his toys, running towards loud noises, talking to us very loudly and attempting to claw our brand new couch. His second mode is burrito sphynx, where he crawls into the folds of his soft blanket and sleeps.
I can’t figure out if he actually was aggressive with his previous owner or not. He’s a cuddle monster. Marvin literally sits perched on my boyfriend’s shoulder while he’s at his computer. If either of us are on the couch or in the bed he’s right there, finding a spot to curl up on.
The only incident we’ve had so far was that Marvin growled once on his first night in our home when I gently scooped him up from the kitchen counter and put him on the floor. He protested a little and that was that. He still doesn’t understand ‘no’ when it comes to kitchen counters but now he doesn’t even mind when I scoop him up and put him down. I can tell he's not very comfortable with being picked up though.
SO!
It’s very clear to me that I need to regularly bathe Marvin, as well as clean his eyes and ears.
I have no idea if he’s used to this process or not. I made a weak attempt to bathe him in the kitchen sink last night but he didn’t want to go in the water so instesd of physically putting him in the water I settled on wiping him down with a facecloth. He was very stiff and I didn’t even get anywhere near his little toes (he kept them curled underneath him) and his claws are absolutely caked in gunk. The face cloth felt very ineffective. I’m going to attempt to bathe him in the bath tonight.
I’ve read about using coconut oil around his cheeks and neck to help loosen the dirt and moisturize before he goes in the water. Could this be used on the rest of his body as well to loosen dirt? I’m going to purchase Johnson’s baby shampoo to wash him, as well as a gentle exfoliating glove for the washing. Would you guys recommend a sponge over the glove? Since his little toes are really dirty I was thinking of getting a really soft bristled toothbrush to really get in there. Thoughts on that?
I also read that rinsing him with a mixture of water and vinegar removes any traces of soap left on him. Do you guys find this necessary?
And lastly I’m going to purchase some alcohol/fragrance free baby wipes as a last resort should he put up a wild fight during bath time. I heard that some people prefer to fill the water up to the neck for difficult sphynx. Would you recommend it or would you stick with belly height?
I’m currently reading up on brands of hard food for him to transition to once the 10 days of soft food are up. I personally prefer a 100% hard food diet for the pets I’ve had because I find that they tend to have less tartar buildup during their checkups. What are your guys’ favourite food brands and treats? What kind of eating habit does your cat have? I believe they have high metabolisms. Do you have food available to them all day long or do you feed them at specific times? Tell me everything, guys!
I’m open to comments, suggestions, recommendations, tips, stories and experiences.
Thanks for reading !!