General kitten advice?

Question

As I said in an earlier post, I just adopted a kitten from the side of the road, and I will be taking her to the vet later on, but for now is there any general adivce? I've never actually owned a kitten before (my husband has but is already at work) so i'm not entirely sure what to do. I also have a six month old, and they seem to get along well despite a pulled ear to which she didnt even hiss.
What are some must haves of cat care? What is the difference between cat foods? I keep hearing use wet, but all I know is my husbands parents have cats on dry food who lived to be 19+. What are the pros and cons to declawing? Are there any good home made cat toys until I can run to the store? Anything a seasoned vet has for a newbie would be appreciated!
Oh, and a way to get her to stop prancing on my laptop would also be appreciated!

Answer 1

Kittens are the most active and destructive little critters and I love them, as they get older they become more calmer.
I have also heard that soft food is better for cats as the cat needs the water in the soft food to stay hydrated. There are many cats out there who eat only dry food and prefer dry food as long as your cat has fresh water every day. Food labels that read byproducts in the ingredient list is not good as byproducts = roadkill, animal hoofs, beaks, euthenaized animals and all kinds of nasties and with this recent pet food scare nobody knows what to feed their pets. Mine like Hills prescription diet.
In my opinion, declawing a cat is like mutilating a cat, It is very painfull for the cat and the pain will continue after the surgery, I have also hear that the front part of the cats paws will be amputated in order to get the whole nail, (I think an amputation never heals properly and when your declawed cat gets into a fight with another cat it will break your heart to see it been beat up as it cant defend itself.

Cats love attention, talk to your cat give her hugs, if you are strolling around your garden, take your cat with you by holding her in your arms. A cat that does not get attention normally becomes reserved. My cats loved to play soccer with a piece of A5 Paper with no ink rolled up into a ball.

Always neuter or spay a cat in order to have an ideal pet and to keep the nabors happy.
There are three dangerous viral infections that cats can contract which results in death (humans can not contract these infections) they are FLV, FIV & FIP. You can test your cat for these through blood tests. If you cat tests negative for these infections there are innoculations.

Answer 2

Taking care of a kitten is like taking care of a human baby. Follow your vets advice.

Buy the healthiest food you can afford. Look at the labels. Meat should be the main ingredient. If its all grains and animal byproducts it not as good. I leave dry food out 24/7 and use wet as a treat. With 12 cats in the house, I can't afford much wet food.

Kitty will need a or a few litter boxes. They need to be scooped every day. Cats are usually very fastidious about having a clean litter box.

There are many types of litter. Through trial and error, you will find which is best for you and your cat.

As for homemade toys: cats and kittens like drinking straws, empty toilet paper rolls, almost any thing that rolls, cardboard boxes for hiding in and scratching on. If you sew, you can make little stuffed pillows for batting around.

When you can get to the pet store buy a good scratching post/ kitty condo.

Don't declaw!!!! Declawing is an euphemism for amputating the first digit of your cats toes.

Here is one of the best sites on the subject.

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/

Purrs,
The Cat Lady

Answer 3

1. Declawing is torture, it is mutilation, the entire finger is cut off. If you saved the cat, it means you love it. If you took it in order to amputate it, it's better to leave it on the streets. Besides the torture, a declawed cat will possibly start biting and stop using the litterbox. Plus, there is no need to declaw. My cat never uses his claws. Read the trick in no.2.
2.As soon as you get the kitten, get it used to trimming his nails. Just trim the pointed end with a nail clipper, deeper down there are veins, you see them turn pinkish inside, so be careful not to cut too far back. Then, you teach it not to scratchcarpets, furniture etc. The kitten will start trying to scratch whatever looks worth scratching to him. Then you will have to pick it up from behind his neck, like mother cats hold them, say NO, and put it on a scratching post or somewhere he is allowed to scratch. You must repeat this every time he tries to scratch somewhere, but always give him an alternative. He will learn easier than you think if you are consistent in showing him what is acceptable and what isn't. Praise him when he scratches the scratching post.
3. You need to have a litterbox with sand, which you must keep very clean.
4. Wet and dry food is OK, for the time being use a food for kittens. As he grows older, you need to give appropriate food, especially if you neuuter him you need to give food which keeps urinary tract health. The disadvantage of dry food is that he gets less moisture, and that can cause crystals that block the urethra and he can't pee, especially male cats.You can also feed some chicken, fish, egg, yoghurt, just don't use seasonings and especially garlic, onion, raisins and grapes. Don't give the kitten milk, it causes diarrhea to little ones.
4. You will be going to the vet, so I guess he will tell you, but just in case, you must know that you need to give the kitten de-worming medicine and spray it with frontline for fleas. Also clean the inside of the ears, with a little olive oil on a Q-tip, just don't go too deep, you don't want to injure the inner ear. Then you need to vaccinate it and repeat in a month. After that you will vaccinate every year and de-worm every 6 months. You also give the flea medication supposedlyt every month, but for an indoor cat I give mine flea medication every 6 months too and he's fine.
5. Since you have a baby, I would advise that you may use www.softpaws.com claw caps, when the cat gets a little older. They are cheap, easy to use and don't harm the cat, and they are a good alternative to declawing. also don't leave them alone together even if they get along, cats often play rough with their loved ones and even if they don't play rough they cuddle up together and they may just cuudle up on his face and suffocate the baby. I am not saying this is a common thing, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
6. About your laptop, I am really sorry, there is no solution for that. My kitten just saved a file I was working on under a different name. They love computers. Get him a toy-mouse, that will distract him enough and it;s fun.
7. remember that 5-9 months old is a naughty age for kittens. Don't lose your patience when that time comes. After he turns 1 year old he'll get more calm and serious, especially if you neuter him in time.
8. Good luck, enjoy the fun it is to have a kitten and well done for saving it!

Answer 4

a really cheap and fun toy for your cat/kitten is a simple piece of paper rolled up in a bal. Some good things about getting a cat declawed is that laer in life it will become less agressive and will no longer be able to scrathch you or your children. Also if the cat is declawed it will save you alot of money on furnitre.


P.S don't but your cat a toy that is alot of money because half the time cats don't even play with the toyd that have been bought for them..... just stick with the paper ball trick..... it actually works and will keep the busy for hours ;)

Answer 5

a litter box (maybe a cat bed) a scratching post cat food and a food/water bowl are necessities. wet cat food kinda sticks to the teeth so i suggest dry food to help protect the cat's teeth. declawing might just save your furniture and your legs but then you might not need a scratching post. yarn should be a wonderful toy for kittens/ cats

Answer 6

NEVER NEVER NEVER DECLAW A CAT IT IS CRUELTY, cats have claws for protection especially from dogs. dry biscuits are appropriate food, but u should also give tin food as well, which 1 depends on what ur cat will eat, mine only eats kangaroo mince. toys, balls r usually the best or screwed up newspaper, they also like cardboard boxes for some reason, cut off 1 side that folds and leave it and the cat should amuse itself in it. cat comb or brush, if its male desex it BEFORE 6 MONTHS- IMPORTANT**. good luck

Answer 7

When we had our kittens I got them whiskas kitten pouches. They ate that until their appetites became more and then I switched them over to the adult size can and mixed it with dry food. They woffed the lot! Also when they were very little I got the whiskas kitten milk just as a help in growth for them, as it was supposed to be full of goodness. As for home made toys, just find some string or wool or a ball. They love chasing and scratching so find a bit of wood for them to scratch at. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

Kittens like small places first, the wide open is too scary as they are insecure/ unsure. I had everything in the bedroom first for my kittens -- food, water, litter tray... and slept with me. If that is not an option, another room or closet with all that and a bed/blanket, so they "own" a place they feel safe in first.

Toys -- piece of ribbon, shoelace, yarn, mine go nuts for this leather shoestring more than their toys. Cardboard boxes to play in and jump in and out of they like.

Food -- I did Nutro pouches first -- but those were in the pet food recall! (luckily mine were not having that for lunch by then) But their dry for kitten they still like -
http://www.nutroproducts.com/ (can get it at PetSmart)
I also give them regular tuna and Meow Mix wet in pouches and there's a natural one I want to try, but the holistic vet is a ways away. Make sure fresh water is always out.

Declawing --- NO, you can train them not to scratch the furniture if you have patience and show them the scratching post instead. My kitties want to please me mostly, so it's just a matter of showing them what pleases me, and me appreciating what they want to do instinctively and distracting them from bad behaviour and praising them for good behaviour.

haaa jumping on laptop/computer keyboard is the worst...they just want your attention, you have to learn ways to divert their attention and get them on something else, like play or whatever.

Train the word NO and if that doesn't work, squirt bottle and "no".


there's plenty on the net, just do a search for "new kitten" , here's one with lots of links - http://cats.about.com/cs/kittencare/a/kitcareone.htm

Enjoy your new kitten! they will explore after feeling secure and want lots of play and attention.

Answer 9

Make sure there is no red food dye in the food you pick. Try one called Iams feline formula or ask your vet for the most natural and true to dietary requirements food on the market if you want her healthy! Dry or moist is not the concern. They like warm milk when young. They like tuna juice from the can drizzled on their dry food. They like catnip in their toys. They are the most loyal animal once they know they are yours!

Answer 10

Congrats on your find,you probably saved her/his life,wonderful!

It'll take time for your new kitty to get adjusted to her new environment so don't get discouraged with the issues that are likely to pop up.

Firstly,she'll probably not know how to use a litterbox at first,just buy a small one and keep it near where she plays. Teach her to use it by taking her to it several times a day. I prefer to carry the kitten to the box and then just let her run out of it and off to her play. This lets her learn the rout to and from it quickly.

With a baby crawling around you may need to find a spot the baby can't get to for it.

Also,remember to never pley with the kitten with your hands or feet. Kittens naturally like to attack those body parts in play but you'll want to teach her not to,to avoid scratches and agression issues later on. If she tries to get too rough,just take her by the scruff and put her a few inches away from you to teach her not to play like that.

Milk caps and the rings make fun toys for kittens at first but will need to be kept out of reach of the baby of course.

It'll be a challenge to incorperate a baby and a kitten at first,but not that hard. Mostly you'll have to be on the look out for kitty toys or tracked kitty litter getting into the reach of your baby. You'll also want to teach the kitten not to play with the baby directly,kittens can be rough frolickers so it's best to make the baby off-limits. Not as hard as it sounds since the kitten will learn fast how rough babies can be in return,hehe.

You can easily buy a product called Soft Paws if you're worried about the kittens nails. They're harmless nail caps that prevent scratching and come in many colors. Declawing isn't recommended nor needed since Soft Paws work wonderfully.

Good luck to you guys,you have many years of joy ahead of you with a rescued kitty and remember to have the lucky kitty spayed/neutered as soon as your vet recommends it. Good for their health (prevents several cancers and infections) as well as your nerves (prevents spraying icky urine,female heat screams,etc...).