i have never had a cat.but i love them. just found a kitten what should i know before taking it in?

Question

how to train them to the litter box?
keep them off beds and furniture.
when to get them declawed? (how much does that cost?)
what to feed them
where to put the litter box?
i have a 9 month old daughter...is that a problem?
i have a small dog. is that a problem? she gets along with cats.
anything else i need to know?
what about keeping hair from messing with allergies for my family?
any info please. the kitten is so cute!

should i keep it outside? as long as it has shelter and food and water until i get all the shots? how much are the shots?

my mother hates the smell of cat urine. would it be better to keep it an outside cat?
how can you tell if its a boy or girl when they are so little?

Answer 1

There is a book "Cats for Dummies" you should get it. It would answer the questions much better than anyone here.

Answer 2

I believe most cats will instinctively want to use the litter box as long as you introduce them to it properly. Hopefully someone else knows more about that.
Keeping them off the furniture - get a spray bottle and fill it with water. Shout no and squirt them when they jump up. Be consistent, it'll take a few times and it will intentionally test you to see what it can get away with.
The vet can tell you when the best age to declaw them is, unless its a vet who thinks the procedure is evil. Personally I don't see anything wrong with it. Its been too long so I can't remember how much.
I would put the litter box in a laundry room, a/c garage, extra bathroom, etc where it is out of the way and the smell will cause the least disturbance.
Just make sure your daughter knows to be extra gentle with the kitty and you should be fine.
If the kitten is young enough she should get used to the dog, but you'll have to watch them close in the beginning.
I would try to keep the cat out of rooms that allergic family members sleep in.
As far as food get some kitten chow now and indoor formula once they are about a year old (assuming you leave it inside, which you should. it will cut down on various risks the cat might have, and if you're planning on declawing its a must.)
Show it lots of love early on and it should end up being an affectionate member of your family. Good luck!

Answer 3

a laundry room or spare bath rm would be a good place to keep the box. To train the kitten to use the box, just keep showing it where the box is. You can get a cat declawed the same time you get it fixed. If it's declawed you shouldn't leave it outside. In general you shouldn't leave a cat outside. The live expectancy for an out door cat is 2-3 years old.There are diseases it can get from other cats, the threat of cars, dogs, and even people.

Brushing your cat often will help with shedding but will not completely eliminate it.

Carefully consider keeping this kitten. It sounds like you are too concerned about your "stuff" to truly enjoy the kitten.

Answer 4

I would take the kitten to the vet and have it checked out for worms and give it her shots. And your vet will tell you what to feed it and maybe give you some free samples. Also ask about the de clawing. I just had my cats front claws done on my vets advice so if they need to climb a tree they still can climb.
I believe they instinctively they will use the litter box. Oh I would put the littler box away from the baby ( I assume she is crawling) and away from the dog.
I have no idea how to keep them off furniture. Mine keep my feet warm at night. Well during the winter anyway.
I think it would be great entertainment for your daughter. But be careful that she is gentle with the new kitty.
I also have a dog and 3 cats. Fortunately they all get along well.
As for allergies, you will need to keep the kitten well groomed each day. Brush it daily.
Best of luck to you. I would hate to turn a kitty back out into this heat wave we are having.

Answer 5

The most important question I want to answer here is about declawing. It is extremely painful for a cat to be declawed, because it's actually like yanking out fingernails. As far a keeping them off beds and furniture, sometimes getting them their own "condo" and a scratching post will help, but you have to understand, a cat has it's own mind. It's not like training a dog. The cat will actually "train" you! The kitten should do fine with your daughter if the kitten is in the mood to be bothered. If not, keep peroxide around, because a cat scratch can be painful. A kitten is cute, but remember, it grows up to be a cat. And cats are extremely independent. I know it sounds like I don't like cats, I do. But I've just had many things (woodwork, furniture, screens, etc.) destroyed by my daughter's two cats. Plus, there's no worse or more difficult smell to get rid of than cat urine, although they've finally come out with a product that works well...UrineGone. Good luck.

Answer 6

OK- The first thing you need to do is take the kitten to a vet to make sure it's alright and had her vaccine shots.
Decide on a specific place for the litter box and then place the kitten on it for sometime,if it leaves the box , return her after a while and repeat that several times till it gets accustomed to it.Unless necessary,don't change the location of the litter box as cats can feel very uncomfortable if you change places.
I'm not sure how old the kitten is but you can feed it minced meat or very small pieces of chicken if it is recently weaned,and ofcourse milk/water.
Please don't declaw.Try getting a wooden scratch post for the kitten to sharpen its claws on and stay away from furniture.If your house floor is tiled then that's going to be better if any of your family suffers from allergy.Carpets are going to trap hairs which might be unhealthy for some.I guess the kitten will intimidated from your dog during the first few days/weeks but they will hopefully get along well since you say your dog has no problems with cats.
Kittens can be very curious and love exploring,so take care.Don't forget to give her a wool ball to play with.They adore that.
Yes,I agree,cats are so cute and lovely.Good Luck and I think things will go on great!!

Answer 7

> kitten what should i know before taking it in?
Kittens grow up to be cats. Get it spayed or neutered when it's 8-9 months old.
> how to train them to the litter box?
You can't train a cat. Get the litter box, put some kitty litter in it, after the cat eats, pick him up and put him in the litter box and hope he gets the point.
> keep them off beds and furniture.
You can't train a cat. Generally, if it's jumping up somewhere where you do't want it, pick it up and put it on the floor and make a hissing sound.
> when to get them declawed?
Never. Never declaw a cat. If you're keeping your cat indoors, you need a couple of scratching posts. Your cat will scratch up your furniture anyway, but you can express displeasure with a hiss if you see your cat doing it.
> what to feed them
Cat food. They like canned food. If it's more than four months old, you can alternate meals with dry food. Don't feed your cat dog food, and don't feed your dog cat food.
> where to put the litter box?
We put ours in the bathroom... but usually, we just put the cat outside.
> i have a 9 month old daughter...is that a problem?
If your cat jumps up onto the kid's bed, get the cat away and hiss at it. Don't let your daughter play with the cat. She will pull its tail and get scratched.
> i have a small dog. is that a problem? she gets along with cats.
Not a problem.
> anything else i need to know?
Take your cat to a vet to get its shots. Otherwise you'll be lucky if your cat lives two years.
Your cat can live to be 17+ years old if you get it spayed/neutered at the right age, and take care of it.
> what about keeping hair from messing with allergies for my family?
Same precautions you take with the dog.

Answer 8

Kittens are the easiest pets to potty train usually only takes one or two times being put in a littler box and they know where to go.
the best time is now to train them to stay off the things you dont want them on make it clear its a no no to be on certain things you dont want them on by correcting them right away.
As for declawing ..i dont believe in that their claws are their protection against preditors its the only thing besides their teeth to protect them ,even if they are only going to be a house cat, house cats do get out some times and if their claws are gone how will they protect themselves from other cats or dogs?? also their claws are used for catching themselves if falling and their pray. while raising your kitten you can teach them along the way to not use their claws on you or furniture by just holding the paw and saying NO.
usually people put litter boxes where its not seen by company and not in the higher traffic areas of the house..so a good place to put one would be a laundry room or spare bedroom that isnt used often some people even put it in their own bathrooms.
As long as the cat is growing up with the baby and the dog there shouldnt be a problem you have to remember the kitten is a baby also you teach it wrongs from rights as you would your own child. as for the dog if its friendly twards cats and you give them both equal attention there shouldnt be a problem there either as a matter of fact they can become great friends.
as for shedding its a natural thing for animals your going to get shedding wheather you like it or not there is nothing you can do to prevent it there are certain foods you can give them to make the shedding less but they will still shed. if your family has allergies from animals or cats its probably not the best idea to keep the cat then the only thing that can be done for allergies is meds or a shot..does your family really want to live with that?
After all this if you still deside to keep the kitten the best food for her/him would be kitten food it will have the right nutrients for her/him until it reaches adult age on the back of the sacks or box should have the ages for certain aged cats/kittens.
also make sure your kitten has plenty of toys they are always playful and curious as babies and also things it is allowed to crawl up on they do have things like that just for cats..also a place to sleep if its not already curled up with your pooch.
It would probably be a good idea to have your kitten spayd or nuterd ..males like to wonder and spray to mark territory wich means bad smells..females wont be gettin pregnant.
besides whats meantioned thats all thats to it just enjoy your new pet!

Answer 9

before adopting it u should take it 2 the vet to make sure it is healthy



PS jsunstar declawing a cat is like amputating the last joint of ur fingers. it makes them pretty much helpless. many cats who r declawed become biters 'cause they feel like they have no defense.