I just got a kitten well an older but I don't know allot about cats can you give me some advice?

Question

Like what kind of cat food is better,what kinds of toys do they like. Is there a difference in kitten and cat food? canned food or dry? She's healthy playful and a sweetheart.

You guys are great I know i will be getting Cats For dummies she is a wonderful addition for me and a pleasure to have around.

Answer 1

Congratulations on entering the world of cat worship! Cats are the bomb! I've had cats my entire life (since infancy) and I still learn something new about them every single day. Go to the bookstore and get a book about cats and their care. Also pick up a book on cat behavior. I highly recommend the Well Cat Book. It's been around for decades and a new edition is released every few years. It's really great. A good one for cat behavior is "Why Cats Do That?" It's very entertaining. Cats are very unique creatures. The best way to learn about them is to spend time with them, but a user manual never hurts!!! If only boyfriends came with one! Good luck! :-)

Answer 2

The book "Cats for Dummies" is an excellent book covering almost all aspects of cat and kitten care from diet, grooming, health issues, need for vaccinations and spaying etc. You would find it very handy to have around your house when questions about the kitten arise.

You can go to www.littlebigcat.com and read some of Dr. Jean Hove's articles on kitten diet such as "Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Food". Dr. Hovfe has about thirty articles there. You can also go to www.catinfo.org to read about a raw food diet for the kitten.

Good luck with the kitten. She will be the darling of your heart and you sound as though you will be conscientious in learning what is best to give her a long and happy life.

Answer 3

the lables on canned food will suggest you feed more than the cat really needs - an older kitten can have 1 feeding a day - of 1 teaspoon canned mixed with 1-2 teaspoons water, this increases their water intake so it helps with their urinary tract..
after 6 months you can feed canned or not feed canned but they need dry available all the time
any and all dry food from grocery store is crap - lots of filler, little nutrition, Science Diet is also crap - over priced because they PAY vets to endorse it...(vets actually receive very little training on food brands and ingredients)
by -products are beaks feet and feathers and should NEVER be an ingredient

chicken, turkey or lamb and gentlest on the tummy - fish is quite bad
milk is bad

kitten food contains more fat so they need it for brain development up until they are at least 8 months - or 1 year
spay a female at 6 months , neuter a male at 10 months

toys - they like a variety and like to have some out and some not out so you rotate them every few weeks - cats play with toys they havent seen for a while - if you have cat furniture they like it to be moved around on occassion - or even laid on its side from time to time
jingle toys, balls, soft toys, honeysuckle toys, cat nip toys... a variety is key...

use stainless steel bowls - not plastic.. dont use a flea collar

Answer 4

Cats for Dummies is a wonderful resource book, especially for first time cat owners. Pick up a copy and read it through, it will help a lot.

I'm not going to go into my normal tyrade about dry food vs. canned food because I'm just tired of typing out so much when a lot of people won't listen. Let me just say that dry food doesn't do much for cat's teeth, soft food doesn't make them rot, soft food doesn't make cats fat (as long as you're only feeding the cat twice a day) OR give them diarrhea, and kitten food is a marketing ploy.

I switched both of my cats from dry Science Crap to two meals of high quality soft food a day (I started with Nature's Variety, but neither one seemed all that thrilled....now I feed them either Wellness or Nutro Max Cat....Wellness is preferred). Their coats are softer and shinier, their eyes are clearer and brighter, their colors have popped right out, my male is losing some weight, and neither one of drinking water as if their lives depend on it. I switched them from hard food after reading the information on this site: http://www.catinfo.org

Good luck with your new kitty!:)

And wet food SHOULD DEFINITELY be a staple food....especially for males. They are more likely to develop crystals in their bladders which can be fatal...and it is due to dehydration.

Answer 5

I have always fed my cats kitten food until they are a year old; kittens have a higher metabolism than adult cats, and are growing, so they need more calories and more protein. I prefer dry food, as it is better for the cat's teeth, and can be left out so that the cat can eat when she wishes (assuming she lives indoors). Be sure that your cat always has plenty of fresh water to drink. Be sure to keep the cat box clean; nothing will persuade a cat to urinate in places that will make YOU unhappy that a litter box that reeks of ammonia. Make sure that the cat has a warm place to sleep (although she will probably search that out for herself). As to toys, don't fall for the junk that most pet stores sell - it's designed to appeal to the owner more than the cat. One of the best toys I've found for a cat is a simple laser pointer; another is a flexible pole about 2 feet long, to which feathers are attached by a cord; even my 15-year-old Abyssinian will chase that around the room.

Answer 6

If your cat is under one year it needs kitten food. I buy my cats Nutro Max cat food. It is all natural and they seem to love it. Wet food should be given only as a treat and not a staple to their diet. Cats like all kinds of toys. Cats have an instinct to chase things so you could get a toy with a long string and your kitty will probably go for hours. Have fun with your new baby.

Answer 7

Dry cat food is best but if you see very hard stools you might want to try a can of food every once in a while. Do not give cats or kittens milk, only occasionally - mine gets very little on Holidays. Milk is not good for cats water is the best. My Jazzmin likes her water in a tall, plastic, red cup rather then her bolw of water that sits by her food. The red cup sits on my dresser in my bed room, she never spils it and if it is empty she'll lay the cup down to let me know... She likes tin foil balls and wool mice with cat nip in them, she likes strings and binder twine. They really like rodents! If she eats more then three rodents per month worm him / her as directed. For fleas Jazzmin had a real hard time this year with bits, I bought her a shampoo and and gave her a flea bath she likes this better then taking antibiotics. LOL! If you hear he/she wizzing get it to the vet could be a bad cold or phmonia- upper resporatory infection. I also get her a flea collar, I take off when she is in the house and we put it on her when she goes out other wise it seems to break down the fur around her neck. Also when she is playing hard cats front legs can get caught up in their collar. I also had to buy her flea powder now she's happy and less itchy finally! During her shedding times I take a bucket of luke warm water and wet my hands and pull the excess fur out I do this about 25 to 100 times other wise it is all over in the house sometimes I do this as often as twice a week when it gets really bad. she doesn't mind a bit and you won't believe how much hair will be in the bucket better to be in there then in your house and on your bed. Litter beads are nice get them from direct buy or some sotores they are all natural, obsorb smell and urine and it causes less tracking, the litter doesn't stick to their feet, or I use Tidey Cat the clay is nice b/c it all just dumps out easily, scoop it once a week and change the entire thing once a week less bacteria I buy the big turkey baking tins their only 75 cents and you can throw them away this way you get away without having to scubb on it evey other month to keep the smell down. place a box of baking soda by the box about 2 to 3 feet away.!... Have fun!!! P.S. My vet says Imes cat food is better then Science Diet.

Answer 8

a scratching post is a great idea, cat nip filled toys, dry or canned food is really up to the cat on what they prefer. get some toys she/he can climb on cats love to climb. Some small soft balls to play with.
set a table in front of a window so they can view the outdoors.
Don't put one of those collars on that have bells, i think that is very bad for the cat, they like to be able to sneak around.
Good luck, enjoy your cat, they are wonderful pets. I love animals.

Answer 9

My cat only eats dried food. After a while I began feeding him wet food but he didn't eat it. Make sure the litterbox is not close to the food.
Cats will get entertained with just about anything, but just make sure it isn't something that can harm him/her, like there is some plants that are bad for cats.
Play with your cat as much as you can, that way it'll trust you faster. If you don't like him doing something, just tell him in a strong voice NO. Never hit a cat. It is easy to know when a cat was abused. When I got my cat from the humane society they said its owner was cruel, so to check I put my hand up like if I was going to hit him and he closed his eyes and ran. Poor kitty.
I believe Purina Cat Chow is pretty good, my cat doesn't like it. He prefers Meow Mix.
Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow
meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow.
That was unecessary, but oh well.

Answer 10

my cats eat only dry food, nutro max, and love it--their teeth have never needed to be cleaned (a friedn who feeds her cat dry and wet food gets her teetch cleaned 2 times a year...)

as for toys, try some of each kind. mine like sisal balls and the squishy, crinkly animals (a lion is the favorite!)

feed her kitten food until she is 1 year old