general first time owner questions

[Rens]

Hello everyone,
I recently adopted a 3 month old sphynx kitten and I need some advice to make sure I give her the best life I can!♥
So I'm going to compile all my questions and doubts in here to see if yall experienced owners could give me some advice
so ... sorry for the long post

when we got her home we prepared a safe room which is the bathroom, hall and toilet. it got everything she needs.
we still use this room when we aren't home or at night since we don't trust her to be alone in the living room yet, since she plays w the curtains sometimes and we have many plants.
When we leave her alone she'll sometimes whine for a while but gives up soon, I'm glad she's learning this.

She got all her vaccines and all that before we got her, but I'm unsure if I should go to a vet near us with her to like do another checkup and maybe get some more advice?
like how to clean her ears and trim nails and all that since I haven't done that yet.

she's super affectionate and sweet but had a few scratches around her neck when we got her (we assumed maybe from a cone or something? since she's sterilized)
so we made her a little sweater from a stretchy Tshirt like fabric.
She got used to it pretty fast, but she licks and cleans herself A LOT. and when doing so will often lick around the armholes and other edges of the sweater a bunch, and sometimes bite at it. Should I leave it on or off? like should I leave it on for a few days and off a few days? I'm unsure what's best. Like does it make her dirty faster or prevents it?

Something else that bothers me a little bit is that she plays rough with my legs :'D
She will try to climb my legs and onto my back, or use my legs as a scratching post. We provided a couple of scratching options around the house (both horizontal and vertical)
but she rarely uses those and prefers to use my jeans or the sofa. Honestly she doesn't scratch much at all, I don't see it happen often. Is this something I should encourage somehow?
When I hold her or she's sitting on my lap she'll also try to jump on my shoulders, and just sit there. but she slides off and digs her claws into my neck it's cute but painfull and i'm hoping to teach her not to do it... :')

When playing she seems rly unsure? she will follow any toy I wiggle or swing around with her eyes and kinda stalk it but doesn't realy attack it much. when she gets too close or when I bring the toy to her she'll run away like she's scared? I noticed she likes hidden things, so I made her a box with holes and put a ball in there and she loves that!
She will sometimes swat a ball or small toy around by herself but it's kinda hard to play WITH her, and this is sad cuz I want to try and wear her out a bit so she gets more stimulation before bed and dinner times.

When she's free in the living room (while I'm here to keep an eye on her) she'll rarely sleep somewhere else besides on my lap.
I don't mind her sleeping on me but I want her to feel comfortable and safe in the other many sleeping spots and beds we got her, is there a way to teach her this?
she'll only sleep in the bed in her safe room if she's locked in there when we are away or asleep.
when she sits on me she'll clean/lick herself for a long time and sometimes like knead and suckle on my hands or arm before finally sleeping.

What we also try to do is feed her on a schedule, she gets the food she needs divided over 3 feeding times. The last one is when we go to bed so she can sleep on a full tummy.
So far she doesn't wake up at night or the morning to wake us so that's great!
sometimes she'll be sleeping when it's feeding time though, and then I'm unsure if I should wake her to keep the schedule tight, or just wait till she's awake?

This weekend will be her first weekend here and her first bath time, I am realy hoping she'll like it and stay calm, cuz she is dirtyyyy!
I wiped her down w some wet pet wipes inbetween and oh boy she's gonna need that bath.

And lastly I want to try clicker training her, so she get's more stimulation.
so far I only tried to like charge the clicker, but I'm not sure if she gets it yet :'D

That's all my observations so far, Thanks in advance for any help and advice!
I'll try and update more ab her in the furute!♥

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Welcome to Sphynxlair and congratulations…your life has officially changed forever. Here is an area of the community you might find helpful. Sphynx Cat Help Center

I don’t want to chime in on everything as I am sure other members will want to welcome you and give advice on some of your topics. I will just start by saying yes, I would get a wellness check set up ASAP. Most breeders have in their contract one should be done within the first few days of them going to their new home. BTW your baby is adorable @Rens

 

[pussiette]

Sphynx clothes should only be put on when you are awake and with them and taken off all other times.

Great news about asking questions - Don’t forget to buy pet insurance.



Kitty proof your house. Look at these threads:



Sphynx Proofing tips



https://sphynxlair.com/community/threads/what-did-you-have-to-kitty-proof-in-your-home-that-you-didnt-except-to-have-to.



Use this cabling to cover electrical cables.



RABALDER Cable tidy, white, 5 m - IKEA

 

[Rens]

Sphynx clothes should only be put on when you are awake and with them and taken off all other times.

Great news about asking questions - Don’t forget to buy pet insurance.



Kitty proof your house. Look at these threads:



Sphynx Proofing tips



https://sphynxlair.com/community/threads/what-did-you-have-to-kitty-proof-in-your-home-that-you-didnt-except-to-have-to.



Use this cabling to cover electrical cables.



RABALDER Cable tidy, white, 5 m - IKEA

thank you so much for these!
i never tought about pet insurance.

 

[Rens]

little update on owning her for almost a week now.
due to unforeseen circumstances, my gf has to go away for an unknown length of time for medical reasons, so I'm home alone w the little stinker.
She is very needy for one person to handle, but I'm doing what I can.
Sometimes she'll have so much energy and is play fighting a lot, I try to calm her down then by not playing w her anymore and just sitting down, But then she'll pounce on me when I look at her or gets into mischief somewhere and then I gotta get up to get her.
I made an appointment w a vet for a checkup, and I hope to get to go soon (still need to get an actual day & hour).
I removed her sweater to be safe but she's still an obsessive licker and suckler :'D
and man does she get dirty fast! today is the first bath time! I'll have friends over for help, hope that goes well

 

[pussiette]

thank you so much for these!
i never tought about pet insurance.

It’s so important the vets fees are so expensive.

 

[pussiette]

little update on owning her for almost a week now.
due to unforeseen circumstances, my gf has to go away for an unknown length of time for medical reasons, so I'm home alone w the little stinker.
She is very needy for one person to handle, but I'm doing what I can.
Sometimes she'll have so much energy and is play fighting a lot, I try to calm her down then by not playing w her anymore and just sitting down, But then she'll pounce on me when I look at her or gets into mischief somewhere and then I gotta get up to get her.
I made an appointment w a vet for a checkup, and I hope to get to go soon (still need to get an actual day & hour).
I removed her sweater to be safe but she's still an obsessive licker and suckler :'D
and man does she get dirty fast! today is the first bath time! I'll have friends over for help, hope that goes well

Licking is good she’s cleaning herself sign off health and suckling is adorable she’s self soothing.

 

[Cleopatra Beers]

Welcome to the Lair! Your baby is adorable, and looks a lot like my Cleopatra. I love that you want to clicker train your baby! A lot of people don’t realize that many animals can be trained, including horses, parrots, and even guinea pigs. All it takes is a clicker and treats. There are lots of videos and books available for training cats.
I clicker-trained Cleo starting at 13 weeks old. For me, it was both something to do with my very smart kitten, and a self-defensive move. Cleo was very attached to me from the first, so she was harness trained on her second day with us, and loved to ride in the car with me. All of that was fine, as long as I could take her with me when I left the house. If I had to leave her home with my husband, she would get destructive—pushing breakables off tables—and was very needy with Bob.
So, the clicker training began. I used a book that is out of print now. Cleo loved dried salmon treats, so those were the reward. Within a week, she could sit, lay down, walk in a circle, give kisses, sit up, and take a treat off my knee on command. To start a training session, the cue was, “Do you want to play?” Eventually, she would jump between pieces of furniture with me pointing to where she should go. She would go through her tunnel on command, and I found that the clicker was not needed. It was one of the most bonding experiences I have ever had with one of our cats.
We no longer do training sessions, but at 10 years old, Cleo still will sit and circle on command, if I have a treat for her. Bob trained Marcus to run an obstacle course by using a feather toy. Both cats are trained to ride in strollers and walk on leashes.
Here’s the book I used. It may be available on Goodreads or other used book sites.

 

[Rens]

Welcome to the Lair! Your baby is adorable, and looks a lot like my Cleopatra. I love that you want to clicker train your baby! A lot of people don’t realize that many animals can be trained, including horses, parrots, and even guinea pigs. All it takes is a clicker and treats. There are lots of videos and books available for training cats.
I clicker-trained Cleo starting at 13 weeks old. For me, it was both something to do with my very smart kitten, and a self-defensive move. Cleo was very attached to me from the first, so she was harness trained on her second day with us, and loved to ride in the car with me. All of that was fine, as long as I could take her with me when I left the house. If I had to leave her home with my husband, she would get destructive—pushing breakables off tables—and was very needy with Bob.
So, the clicker training began. I used a book that is out of print now. Cleo loved dried salmon treats, so those were the reward. Within a week, she could sit, lay down, walk in a circle, give kisses, sit up, and take a treat off my knee on command. To start a training session, the cue was, “Do you want to play?” Eventually, she would jump between pieces of furniture with me pointing to where she should go. She would go through her tunnel on command, and I found that the clicker was not needed. It was one of the most bonding experiences I have ever had with one of our cats.
We no longer do training sessions, but at 10 years old, Cleo still will sit and circle on command, if I have a treat for her. Bob trained Marcus to run an obstacle course by using a feather toy. Both cats are trained to ride in strollers and walk on leashes.
Here’s the book I used. It may be available on Goodreads or other used book sites.
View attachment 104759

hello! thank you so much for your info and the book reccomendation.
so far I'm just trying to learn her what the clicker means by "charging" it but I don't know if she's getting it yet. but I also feel like i might be doing it wrong? when doing this, she just follows me around like crazy cuz I got food. and I don't know if she's making connections cuz often she won't respond to the clicker if I use it from a distance to see if she'd come running.
I would love to get some more tips if you have any!

 

[Rens]

ok so new update.
she's very playfull ofcourse, she's almost 4 months now in august.
but my biggest frustration at the moment is that when she's in a silly playfull mood she'll attack my legs.
even in non-play moods she'll climb my legs to get attention or if she wants food.
I don't know how to stop this!?
I pull my leg away or shake her off (I make sure not to hurt her ofc) and say "NO" but she just KEEPS DOING IT and it's realy driving me insane.
I work from home and my gf has recently been hospitalized so it's all up to me and it's a lot.
she has her safe space in the house I lock her in when I have to go out, with all her belongings, but when she's in there I don't think she's very active and just sleeps a lot, so I can't keep locking her up whenever she's "too much", it feels like she'll just get bored too much.
I realy need some help...