Getting a Kitty for Christmas... what are the basics?

Question

food (wet or dry), water, grooming, etc... how much and how often? litter box?
I have 3 children ... one that is 8 months and will be crawling soon. I dont want him to get near the litter box. Where should I put it ? Will the kitten let me know if she has to go if I put it in the bathroom with the door closed? Any Ideas ???

Answer 1

fresh water needs to be available all the time. DO NOT feed ONLY dry food. a mixture of both is perfect. we feed our cats each a quarter of a can twice a day. in the morning and during dinner. this keeps them from wanting unhealthy table scraps. we fill the dry food dish once a day about halfway. wet food is NEEDED for your cat to be healthy. dry food leads to all kinds of problems like urinary track problems. wet food provides cats with more nutrients and water. but dry food cleans the teeth (wet food isn't bad for teeth, it just doesn't do anything for their teeth), so it's important to have a good balance.
don't beleive me? try these site, especially this one from the SPCA: http://eastbayspca.org/petownership/feedingyourcat.cfm
others:
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/canned_food.htm
http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_food

are you getting a cat or a kitten? if you are getting a kitten don't leave the kids alone with it, kittens are delicate. if you are getting a cat make sure you get a good tempered cat that is good with kids. when I was a baby my cats used to sleep in the crib with me. I have tons of pictures of me hanging on them and cuddlign with them, a good tempered cat will put up with a lot from a baby, but make sure the baby doesn't hurt the cat. it's nearly impossible (that doesn't mean it is impossible) for the baby to injury the cat, especially seriously. cats are good at squirming away from even the tightest grips, if the baby bothers it too much a good cat will simply leave. I suggest rescuing a cat from a shelter instead of a kitten, you'll be saving it's life, yopu'll get a cat for christmas and it will get a family sand a second chance at life. just ask which ones are good with kids, they usually have it listed with the cats, if not ask. they don't want lawsuits so they'll be glad to tell you if the cat is good with kids or not.

grooming depends on the type of cat, long hair need to be brushed about once a week, short hair don't generally need to be brushed. cat's doing really need baths unless they have fleas or get into something messy.

for a litter box I suggest something like this http://www2.shopping.com/xGS-Litter_Boxes~NS-1~linkin_id-3058295~ or this http://www2.shopping.com/xPO-Clevercat_Top_Entry_Litterbox_30069545 this will prevent the baby form getting into it without keeping the cat from being able to get it. there are quite a few varieties, and you could even make you own by placing a box over the litter pan and cutting a hole in the top.

good luck and have fun with your new cat!

Answer 2

Buy high quality food from a pet store. Grocery store food contains by-products and cheap fillers not good for cats. Feed your cat a bit of wet food and some hard food (use separate bowls). Add some water to the wet food and heat in microwave for a few seconds. Take the wet food away after 10 or 20 min since bacteria can form. You can leave the hard food out all day.
Always have fresh water available to your cat, changing it a couple times a day. Clean the bowl every day. Feeding directions vary depending on cat's weight, which is on the bag/can of food.

Buy clumping cat litter. This allows you to scoop poo and urine keeping the smell down. You can completely empty the litter box monthly.

Supposed to brush cat daily.

If the cat is locked outside of the bathroom and the litter box is in there, you will probably end up with messes.

Answer 3

Feed only a quality dry food. Follow the instructions on the bag as to how much to give. Wet food smells & is terrible for their teeth. Fresh water everyday is necessary. Hold its paws alot when it's little and get it used to that so you can trim it's claws. Brush it gently starting young, too. Buy a covered litter box to help keep little hands out of there. After the kitten eats put it in the box about 20 mins later. He will know what to do! There's so much going on at Xmas time w/ kids and all that maybe it would be better to wait until afterward when your house is back to normal and you can spend more time with the new kitty & there's less dangerous stuff, ribbons, ornamnets, etc., around. Whenever he starts to make a move like reaching up to claw the couch or something undesirable, clap your hands and tell him "No" loudly. People don't think that cats are trainable, but I've had 5 cats and no shredded furniture!

Answer 4

Basics include:
Kitty Toys
Water
Litter/Litter Box
Scooper
Wet/Dry Food

You will want to leave the water out 24/7. On the back of the bag of food it has suggestions on how much and how often you want to feed your kitty, I personally leave a full bowl of dry food out 24/7. She gets wet food every morning and every evening (half a can). Usually the Kitty's learn from their mom how to use the litter box but to avoid all confusion and accidents make sure the litter box is in plain site where she can spot it. DO NOT move it around! She will NOT let you know, she will just find a corner to go in. Initially I would stick her in and kinda scrape her paws in the litter so she gets a feel/smell of it. You can scoop out the clumps daily/ever other day and maybe weekly dump the whole thing and put new litter in.

Answer 5

Just keep in mind, cats are letting you ,live in their space, they are very easy to train by just showing them where the litter box is and putting them in ti, their natural instinct to bury their waste will take over from there, as for introducing the cat to kids try letting them watch each other through glass window or door if possible, and as for keeping the litter box away from the baby, you can maybe get by with putting it up out of reach of the child but still keeping it where the cat can get to it with minimal effort.

Answer 6

FOOD WET FOR A LITTLE WHILE UNTIL IT GETS OLDER
WATER BESIDE HIS FOOD ALL THE TIME
LITTER BOX
CLUMPING CAT LITTER IS THE BEST
CLEAN EVER TWO DAYS

Answer 7

1st. You don't get the cat for Christmas. You get it for life. Consider that before you make decisions.
2nd. The cat will poop outside if the litterbox isn't in his reach (a cat door through the bathroom door could be helpful, but you must teach the cat to use it. They learn very easily though).
3rd. It's better not to leave the baby unmonitored around the cat anyway.

Answer 8

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