Taking care of kittens?

Question

im getting a new cat in a month or so. i want to keep it comfortable on its first day. im soooo excited. anybody have tips for me? ive done a lot of research but i thought it would be nice to get tips from experienced cat owner...

Answer 1

Cat's are independent creatures. When you get it home, just let it roam around on it's own. It will probable hide somewhere until it can smell everything and everyone and will most likely only come out at night to eat. So put food out, and make sure some of it is missing the next day. If it is an indoor cat, just put the litterbox in it's permanant place and put the cat in it. It will be a little scared and might jump out, but that's ok. Never change a cats food alot. Buy one kind(dry is better) and stick with it. Changing a cat's food can really mess up their bellies. I give my cat one small can of food at Thanksgiving and Christmas for a treat, but dry food the rest of the year. Give it an unlimited supply of water. In a matter of days your cat will come around you more and more. Call it by it's name while you are petting it or feeding it and it will learn it' name quickly. If it is a long hair cat, have some hairball remedy on hand, just in case. If your cat starts hacking with it's head close to the floor then it is trying to cough up a hairball. A little fingernail size drop of hairball remedy should help, but not too much, it is also a laxative. You can help control hairballs with a really good pet brush, which is easier to use on a cat the earlier you use it on them. Cats are slow to change and have minds of their own, but be careful, they are also very smart and can train you as easily as you train them. Good luck!

PS . Please have it spayed or neutered after it is 4-6 months old. Going into heat is very painful for an animal, and Cats rarely have reproductive problems, so unless you want kittens you CANNOT get rid of, have your cat fixed.

Answer 2

At www.littlebigcat.com Dr. Jean Hovfe has two articles which you can read and print out : Base Camp - How to Prepare for your New Cat" and "Before You Get a Kitten" Those should give you the tips you need to get started.

Biggest issues with humans and cats are (1) patience and (2) relaxation. Everything will go well and you need to be prepared to learn from the kitten not to try to change the kitten's behavior.

As a nervous new cat mom you are getting stressed already. Human emotions are always picked up by cats and kittens so you need to have a positive, happy approach to the whole "blessed event" and calmly deal with any issues that come up. We have all made mistakes with cats and kittens and they have survived our ineptitude and are happy creatures living in the warmth of our love and caring for them. Your new kitten will do the same.

You still have time to get two so give that thought some serious consideration. Kittens do best in pairs - that is one thing I know for sure based on experience.

Answer 3

Cats are sometimes skittish during their first few days in a new environment. One thing that we do at our shelter that seems to help the newbies, is to put them first in a large crate set up on a table (so they're above the floor), and provide them with shoe boxes filled with towels and a litter box. The shoe boxes give the cats small spaces in which they can feel secure; and the crate up off the ground gives them a sense of being in a mountain den (which is also comforting to cats). [[The higher in the room the new cat can get, the safer it will feel.]]

While in the crate, the cat can still see, hear and smell everything around it -- so it can get used to your houssehold noises -- but also keeps it safe.

After a day or two, open the front of the crate and let the cat come and go as it pleases.

Answer 4

I've had cats as long as I can remember, and I've found that even though you may think she's your cat, the truth is that you're her human. That's right, you're her servant. Cats are completely self-absorbed...and that's the way it should be. :)

Honestly, love her, pamper her and treat her with great respect and you'll have a good companion.
We moved a lot, since my dad was in the military, so when we got to a new place, the first thing we did with our kitties was to show them the litter pan. So, when kitty comes home, bring her to the litterbox, pat her gently and let her know it's a good thing. Then, let her explore your house at her own pace. She'll find her food if you leave it in an obvious place (in fact, follow her around and when she gets to the place where you are going to be putting her food, fill it up then....she'll get the idea).
Give her a day or two to get used to the place, and show her that your home is a good place to be. Once she gets used to where things are, you'll be all set.

Cats are very independant by nature, and most adapt quickly to a new space (there are always exceptions). They don't need a billion toys, in fact she'll probably find stuff to play with that you already have around the house (mine love a wine cork or the ring off the milk jug...just be sure to watch for small pieces they could choke on).
Just give her plenty of affection (and by being concerned enough to get advice from total strangers...you're off to a good start). and she'll be just fine.

Answer 5

Ok the best thing to do if the kitten is not shy let it just go throw the house. Its best to let it explore. They do get in a whole lot of trouble the first day. -_-* they get into everything and anything they can. So you want to make sure nothing can hurt the cat. You also might want to stay off the computer. -_-* other wise they think they have to get your attention by getting on the computer. I've looked countless time for a way to get your cat to say off with out being mean... Its Imposable. If your cat is shy then you might just want to let it stay by you. If your kitten is small then when your not around its best to have a litter box, cat food, water, and a playpin. It keeps them out of trobame well your gone. I've had to do that before.

Answer 6

Congrats! you have become a kitten! that's an extremely long relationship - very like having babies so be genuinely specific you're arranged. bear in mind cats can stay for around 2 many years or greater - so that's an extremely long term. yet i'm specific you already understand this and have theory it throughly by using. I even have related some websites that i think of you will rather relish and supply you a brilliant number of suggestions that's mandatory. the main mandatory element your kitten will choose is love, as long as you have that, you're purely before the interest. Plus: Potty guidance is elementary for kittens. purely make specific you retain them in a smaller room - not roaming the domicile. they are too small to have the full domicile and could forget approximately the place the "potty" is placed in a house. place them in a room (preferrably with a window) and place the cat littler in that room. tutor the kitten some circumstances. The kitten will bear in mind and use it continuously, as long as you do not pass it. Then, your kitten is knowledgeable. No issues. different issues to bear in mind: Your kitten will choose 3 instruments of photos once you first undertake her into your existence. you will could pass to the vet once you get him/her to get those photos. Plus, on no account ever feed a kitten or cat milk. that's purely too harsh for a cat's abdomen and could kill the cat interior the long-term. do not pay attention to anybody that tells you to accomplish that. With this in concepts, you're arranged for a kitten! Yay!

Answer 7

You may want to confine it to a smaller room in the house with its cat pan, food and water. Sit in the room quietly with her and play with her gently and talk in soothing tones. Let her explore her new room and then after a few days let her start to look around the house a little more. Pretty soon she will be queen of all she surveys or King if its a little boy. Please don't let your baby outside. Keep it an inside kitty. They can be very content inside and more than happy. My 3 like to sit by the open patio screen door and enjoy the breeze and sunshine and are happy. It is a fallacy that cats must go outside, they do not. I hope you have many long and happy years with your fur ball. They are great and I would not be without one, or three in my case.

Answer 8

How old is the kiitten? when i got mine it was not able to eat reg cat food very well so i had to get the powder stuff that you add water to it and it becomes like milk. make sure it has clean water and litter box. cats like to lounge around and sleep so give it a pillow in a place where he can see what is going on. Cats dont want to be kept away from everyone and everything. My cats are always in a position where they can see everything. depending on how young it is have some toys!! you also have to teach them where their litter box, food, and water is.


GOOD LUCK!

Answer 9

DONT i repeat DONT be to around the cat
the cat might be afraid of you considering that would be
his/her first day with you
I have experience with my friend's cat when i was about 5 and
it gets into a really big story
anyways be nice but try not to scare the cat

Answer 10

first of all you have to get a litter box.then a bed for all of the kittens and some cat food I would recamand Fancy Feast or Friskies then mabye some toys.