What color is this kitty cat?

[Shellybean02]

What can I do to prevent him from ever becoming a scratching cat? I'm sure there are cats that would never even think of raising a paw to anyone, and I want him to be nice to the kids even when unsupervised (of course the kids need to learn how to respect cats as well, it's a growing process for all of us). It would be dangerous if he scratched anyone before his first vet visit due to the fact that he comes from outside, but he shows no interest at all in hurting anyone.
I wanted a bit of help ID-ing his age. He is super tiny, can eat wet food, has blue/grey/green eyes, and I believe his front teeth are baby teeth being that they're tiny and pointy. I'll try to get more info on his weight and teeth when I get home. He's still alive, and we haven't given him formula milk, so my guess is that he doesn't need milk to live ^-^

 

[Shellybean02]

Also, I don't remember if I've asked this already, but is it possible that Cherish is a ticked tabby, maybe a tortoiseshell ticked tabby? Or a calico? He is just so differently colored compared to other kitties...

 

[torilovessmiles]

Also, I don't remember if I've asked this already, but is it possible that Cherish is a ticked tabby, maybe a tortoiseshell ticked tabby? Or a calico? He is just so differently colored compared to other kitties...

I would still say he's a tabby-tortoiseshell. There are three main tabby types. Classic tabby (swirls), Mackerel Tabby (stripes), spotted tabby (broken stripes) and ticked tabby (agouti). The genes that dictate these patterns are separate from the color gene, so if it is present in a tortoiseshell, you have a "tabby-tortie" or torby. Your kitten does not appear to be a ticked-tabby from the pictures, but rather a Mackerel or spotted pattern. A clear-close up of his back would help identify it better

What can I do to prevent him from ever becoming a scratching cat? I'm sure there are cats that would never even think of raising a paw to anyone, and I want him to be nice to the kids even when unsupervised (of course the kids need to learn how to respect cats as well, it's a growing process for all of us). It would be dangerous if he scratched anyone before his first vet visit due to the fact that he comes from outside, but he shows no interest at all in hurting anyone.
I wanted a bit of help ID-ing his age. He is super tiny, can eat wet food, has blue/grey/green eyes, and I believe his front teeth are baby teeth being that they're tiny and pointy. I'll try to get more info on his weight and teeth when I get home. He's still alive, and we haven't given him formula milk, so my guess is that he doesn't need milk to live ^-^

In order to keep cats from scratching, you must learn to read them. Make sure children around him know not to chase him, and to let him down if he tries to get away from them. Most of the time, when children are injured by pets, they have not been taught to respect that animal's boundaries. That is vital for the safety of both the animal and child! If a cat has it's ears pinned back, tail swinging hard, or fur puffed up, leave it alone.
Second is to avoid playing with him using your hands or hair (and we are all guilty of this). If he tries to play with fingers, you can remove your hand and emulate a hissing sound. This sounds stupid, but that's what mother cats do when their kittens are trying to play too rough with her. It works. Use cat teasers or lasers for playtime, just be careful not to point the laser at anyone's eyes.
Watch some episodes of Jackson Galaxy's "My Cat From Hell." The man is a miracle worker with cats, and his videos will put you in the right direction.

Never assume that just because something isn't dead, that it's getting everything it needs. Kittens sometimes nurse up to 12 weeks old with a mother. Based on the info you've given me about his size and eye color, he is around 6 weeks old. If he can drink out of a bowl on his own, you can probably put some kitten formula (not cow's milk) in a bowl to make sure he's getting all the nutrition he needs.

Good luck!

 

[torilovessmiles]

Tabby torties are also called "patched tabbies"

http://www.catster.com/cats-101/tabby-cat

They are the last one listed on the page in the link above

 

[Shellybean02]

I've watched that show! Very interesting. When one of the little ones jumps, he puffs up, hisses and backs up. Sometimes he goes into hiding. I like this as opposed to him whacking people with his claws. Also, I got him purina dry kitten food and fancy feast for kittens. They both say they have the nutrients of a mother cat's milk. But the fancy feast says milk in its ingredients... I'm assuming they mean cow's milk, which is bad for kittens. Would this be a good temporary diet for him? I gave him servings of both in separate bowls according to his weight (me subtracted from him+me), which was 1.5 lb... I wasn't expecting that much for how tiny he is!
Also, I have a hard time figuring out what type of tortie he has in him, because torties are black with orange brindling. He has more of an orange undercoat, with black/dark brindling on top.

 

[Shellybean02]

New pics. I can't get a good one of his stripes!

 

[torilovessmiles]

I've watched that show! Very interesting. When one of the little ones jumps, he puffs up, hisses and backs up. Sometimes he goes into hiding. I like this as opposed to him whacking people with his claws. Also, I got him purina dry kitten food and fancy feast for kittens. They both say they have the nutrients of a mother cat's milk. But the fancy feast says milk in its ingredients... I'm assuming they mean cow's milk, which is bad for kittens. Would this be a good temporary diet for him? I gave him servings of both in separate bowls according to his weight (me subtracted from him+me), which was 1.5 lb... I wasn't expecting that much for how tiny he is!
Also, I have a hard time figuring out what type of tortie he has in him, because torties are black with orange brindling. He has more of an orange undercoat, with black/dark brindling on top.

Make sure he's eating plenty of the canned food, as dry alone may be tough for him to eat as young as he is. It may be cows milk that has had certain sugars removed to make it safe for cats.

Torties aren't all black with orange brindling. They can be brindled OR patched, and yours is patched with a tabby pattern.

http://www.catster.com/cats-101/tabby-cat
This link has pretty much all of the information you could need on basic tortoiseshell genetics and patterns. I linked it before but you may have missed it

 

[Shellybean02]

I see. My only concern is the fact that I leave one serving of each food in a separate bowl based on his weight, and he eats the whole wet food and starts nibbling on the dry food - within minutes! Here are some more pics for the heck of it -.-

 

[Shellybean02]

...Should I continue to leave a serving of each food type every time he finishes? Or give him the two servings and only refill it 24 hours after I gave them to him?

 

[torilovessmiles]

...Should I continue to leave a serving of each food type every time he finishes? Or give him the two servings and only refill it 24 hours after I gave them to him?

If the kitten is underweight, I would just let him eat until he's no longer hungry. It seems like you're doing pretty well with it! Weight him weekly and track his progres. Here is a weight chart that will help you keep track