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Newbie owner here! Love the Sphynx!!

lexin77

Lairian
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
43
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Howdy everyone!
I just became a Sphynx owner on 9/11/09.
Ripley is her name.
She is has such a pleasant personality! I love the energy and the love that she gives me.
She is great! I feel so bad leaving for work in the morning :( Although I have been coming home at lunch to check on her. She sleeps throughout the night without a peep though!
A few questions if anyone has time.
I brought her home last friday. She still has not drank any water.
Is that typical?
She has been eating wet and dry food so I think she is getting some water.
I also abruptly switched her litter Sunday night. I caught her making a booboo that same night. I think it was due to the change in litter. Now I feel like I have to follow her around and watch for booboo's!
Any advice on getting her to use the box? I don't want to lock her in the bathroom with the litterbox!
 

lexin77

Lairian
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
43
Points
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HA!!
Just as I finished typing she was in there using the box!
I rewarded her with some salmon flavored kitty treats!!
YAY!!
 

ilovemysphynx

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Hi, Lexin77 and welcome! Glad you joined your little girl is so cute! Can't wait to hear all about her and see lots of pics!

As for your questions, she should be drinking water, are you sure she is not drinking from the sink or something? How old is she? If you are sure she is not drinking I would give the breeder A call and ask if she was drinking there. Also try showing her the water bowl and stick her little nose in just so it gets wet so she knows it is there.

For changing the litter glad she just went in the box, but if she keeps having booboos go back to the litter she was using before and then after she goes there for a few days try to change the litter slowly by mixing the old to the new untill you get to all new!

Good luck let us know how it goes.:ThumbsUp:
 

kerrie78

Senior Lairian
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Mar 8, 2009
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Welcome & Congrats! She is very cute!
A few questions if anyone has time.
I brought her home last friday. She still has not drank any water.
Is that typical? No she should be drinking... are you sure she isn't getting it from somewhere else?
She has been eating wet and dry food so I think she is getting some water.
I also abruptly switched her litter Sunday night. I caught her making a booboo that same night. I think it was due to the change in litter. Now I feel like I have to follow her around and watch for booboo's!
Any advice on getting her to use the box? I don't want to lock her in the bathroom with the litterbox![/QUOTE] They sell a litter called kitten attract that works great, it has certain pheromones to draw cats to it.
 

Brooke

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May 4, 2009
Messages
1,767
Points
0
Howdy everyone!
I just became a Sphynx owner on 9/11/09.
Ripley is her name.
She is has such a pleasant personality! I love the energy and the love that she gives me.
She is great! I feel so bad leaving for work in the morning :( Although I have been coming home at lunch to check on her. She sleeps throughout the night without a peep though!
A few questions if anyone has time.
I brought her home last friday. She still has not drank any water.
Is that typical?
She has been eating wet and dry food so I think she is getting some water.
I also abruptly switched her litter Sunday night. I caught her making a booboo that same night. I think it was due to the change in litter. Now I feel like I have to follow her around and watch for booboo's!
Any advice on getting her to use the box? I don't want to lock her in the bathroom with the litterbox!

Hi Lexin, Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new sphynx!

No, it is definitely not normal for Ripley to not be drinking any water since Friday. It's good that she's eating, so she is getting some water from her wet food, but she will quickly get dehydrated and can get very sick if she doesn't drink more water. I would suggest putting fresh water in several areas around your home for her to choose from. Also, some cats prefer to drink from moving water, so you might try using a drinking fountain for her. I use one for my cats and they love it (it also filters the water, so I know they're getting better than tap water!) a good way to tell if she might like a fountain, is to put your sink faucet on a slow drip and see if she tries to drink from it.

It's very possible that the litter change is the reason for her accident outside of the litter box. But, can you clarify if her boo-boo was pee or poop outside of the box? And, how old is Ripley? Sometimes eliminating outside of the box can be a sign of a urinary tract infection or some other health issue. But, since it coincides with the litter change, that's most likely the cause. What litter did you change from/to?

There is a brand of clumping litter (available at Petsmart called Dr. Elsey's with "Cat Attract" that has an attractant in the litter that guarantees the cat will use it. I recently made a litter switch from crystals to clumping litter and used this brand, all 4 of my guys used it with no problems. It's also 99% dust free, which is great for the sphynx.

Cats tend to want to "go" right after they finish eating, so I would recommend setting Ripley in the litter box right after you feed her, while giving her lots of praise, and hopefully she'll make the connection. Also, if she does use the litter box, scoop it as usual, but leave a little bit behind so that she'll smell it and know to return there next time she needs to go.

Good luck! Please keep us posted. Also, we love to see pictures!!
 

admin

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Hello Lexin77 and welcome to Sphynx Lair! Yes you need to sit with her by the bowl and show here the water by touching her nose or paw slightly into the dish like ilovemysphynx (my wife)suggested. How old is she? Im glad the litter problem hopefully was solved! Cant wait to see more pics!:ThumbsUp::Laugh:
 

Pbinky

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Jun 13, 2009
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You never know, she might be drinking when you're not around. but i would definitely try to put her on the counter and run some water from the faucet. My boy Pbinky comes running every time i brush my teeth or wash my hands. He LOVES running water. Also, is she peeing? Because if she's peeing then you know she's drinking....what goes in must come out :Wink:
 

Marnasobsession

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What a cutie! I am new to this forum and everyone has been very welcoming. There is alot of generous and knowlegeable people here. Let us know if she is drinking!:ThumbsUp:
 

lexin77

Lairian
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
43
Points
24
Update- Little kitty didn't like the lid on the litterbox! I removed the lid and before you know it no more accidents. YAY!!
Little kitty has also been drinking water, I placed 3 bowls around the house and they have obviously been drunken out of.
She is such a good little kitten and super personable. What a pleasurable addition to my lonely household :Smile:

This forum is great and I want to thank all of you!!!
 
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