Kitten advice needed

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Cope

Fusing with fire
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@RustyRatRod


So this happened...

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I have never had a cat before and need all the advice.

I went out and got some kitten wet food but beyond that I have no Idea how to care for a kitten.

She will need all her shots and spayed but im not sure when?

So hit me with some knowledge!


Thanks everyone !
 
@RustyRatRod


So this happened...

View attachment 1715894715

I have never had a cat before and need all the advice.

I went out and got some kitten wet food but beyond that I have no Idea how to care for a kitten.

She will need all her shots and spayed but im not sure when?

So hit me with some knowledge!


Thanks everyone !
Hit up @RustyRatRod he is a cat whisperer! I think he and his wife are up to 10 cats.
 
@RustyRatRod


So this happened...

View attachment 1715894715

I have never had a cat before and need all the advice.

I went out and got some kitten wet food but beyond that I have no Idea how to care for a kitten.

She will need all her shots and spayed but im not sure when?

So hit me with some knowledge!


Thanks everyone !
Good on you. I believe they have to be 5 lbs
Be before they will neuter them.
A balance of wet and dry is best..
A clean litter box also.
 
Good on you. I believe they have to be 5 lbs
Be before they will neuter them.
A balance of wet and dry is best..
A clean litter box also.
When they get bigger they can damage furniture with their claws. They can be declawed when they are young. A scratching post helps. It didn't help mine much.
Is it a girl or a boy? Girls (obviously) can have kittens at an early age. Spay/neuter is the best idea.
 
Google lots. LOL, I did not have that option when I got my first one, then two.....................

Litter box. Lots of options, mine did well with the grocery store "non wood" stuff, they almost self train. Just stick them in the box a couple of times. I don't think all 3 of mine over the years had more than a couple of "accidents."

Depending on your windows, I would open one with a heavy screen above my bed, they loved to jump up and lay on that sill in summer, and I screwed a shelf to the big window in front with carpet and when they were older, put a ramp up to it. They LOVED that it's E and S exposure lots of time lounging in the sun.

I kept mine pretty much indoors, I think Rusty is the opposite

Please DO NOT declaw cats. Teach them to use "designated" spots. Buy scratch devices, maybe one of the carpeted tower/ castle things or build one. If you keep at it they will get the message. If you are home a lot that helps. Teach them "NO" and what it means. Mine all learned where they could climb and where not. I had little trouble with them say, on kitchen counters.

I miss all of them.
 
I have the claws taken out then you can't let it go outside which it will eventually likely try to do. It wouldn't be able to defend itself... Ours just goes in and out of the dog door as it pleases and goes to the bathroom outside rooms neighborhood but it knows where the food is... I don't have much of any traffic in our neighborhood here so no worries there...
Not a cat person at all myself but my wife's cat loves the hell out of me...
Good on you though everybody should have a pet they make you live longer...
 
How old?
Try some Catsip n wet/dry food for kittens if old enough. Get litter box setup in bathroom asap and they'll always know where to go. Take them to it a time or two n lat them dig.
 
I have the claws taken out then you can't let it go outside which it will eventually likely try to do. It wouldn't be able to defend itself... Ours just goes in and out of the dog door as it pleases and goes to the bathroom outside rooms neighborhood but it knows where the food is... I don't have much of any traffic in our neighborhood here so no worries there...
Not a cat person at all myself but my wife's cat loves the hell out of me...
Good on you though everybody should have a pet they make you live longer...
Our last few cats were let outdoors. Depending on what neighborhood you live in, the outdoor cats, especially the males, are territorial and fight a lot. Our last 2 were good sized cats with all the claws. They still came home all beat up requiring numerous trips to the vet to get pasted back together. $$$$$$
 
I would like her to be an inside / out side cat but we will see how that goes?

Im not sure how that works?

I guess she stays inside for the first few months the she goes out side and just pray she come back?
 
Declawing is like cutting your pecker off and is just wrong.

Cats are super smart and easy to train. If they need into you too hard, gently pinch their paws stopping them. Chewing on a cord, gently smack them with the cord right as you caught them chewing on it. A mix of wet and dry food. Mix in a little water or tuna juice into the dry food to soften it. Cats are grazers, just fill the bowl and let them eat. Fresh water also.
 
Our last few cats were let outdoors. Depending on what neighborhood you live in, the outdoor cats, especially the males< are territorial and fight a lot. Our last 2 were good sized cats with all the claws. They still came home all beat up requiring numerous trips to the vet to get pasted back together. $$$$$$
If I know Cope he's not going to take away his Pet's defense mechanism...
You can only imagine what your cat would have looked like if it couldn't even pitch up a fight back...
 
The SPCA in Sacramento will do spay and neuter at 2 lbs, my wife worked there for awhile and fostered kittens for several years and 2 lbs was the goal for fostering as that was when they'd do the spay/neuter, finish out the shots and make them available for adoption. Best bet is to contact your vet or your local SPCA, they usually offer spay and neuter clinics at discounted prices depending on the area and your circumstances. Some vets also have new kitten specials that will have a package deal on all the required shots etc. with a first visit. VCA has a health care plan you can get yearly, for a first year it works out pretty good/pays for itself because it covers all the shots and visits you need the first year. After that it's usually cheaper to piecemeal any boosters or visits.
 
If I know Cope he's not going to take away his Pet's defense mechanism...
You can only imagine what your cat would have looked like if it couldn't even pitch up a fight back...

You are correct Sir.

In fact when She is old enough and able she will be earning her keep as a mouser.

So the claws are staying and no. I could never do that anyway.

I use to have a dog but He is gone now.
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Fu@k...
:(


Man, That pic is hard to look at..
 
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That's a super cute cat, nice job giving it a home! Males can be neutered sooner than females can be spayed, but either way you can wrap that up before she has a first litter. Cat box training is super simple as noted above - just put them in the box a bunch of times, they will figure it out. I use the lightweight clumping litter and only have to scoop out the nuggets and top it off as needed. I've rarely done wet food, all my cats got dry stuff in a gravity feeder so they could graze as desired. You will need to keep it on kitten food for 6-9 months or more, your vet can advise on that. Keep LOTS of designated scratching items handy. I rubbed them with catnip to make sure the kitten wanted to use it. When I found mine scratching something not on the approved list, I'd pick it up and put it on the scratcher nearby. Toys are essential to keep the little bugger busy. They are curious and will get into everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING. I had some active toys I could leave where the kitten could play with it even if I was gone. A cat tree with lots of shelves, cubbyholes, and so forth is an excellent investment, and the taller the better. Cats like to be up high looking down on things. I would not declaw it but rather teach it what to claw or not. If it gets outside it will be defenseless with no claws. As far as indoor/outdoor goes, it depends on where you live. At my house coyotes and bobcats are a real deal, claiming any cat left out too long. In a more urban setting maybe not so much, but it's a risk you take if it goes outside.

Good luck on your adventure. You won't be sorry - there's nothing like a happy kitten snoozing on your lap to make the world a better place.
 
@RustyRatRod


So this happened...

View attachment 1715894715

I have never had a cat before and need all the advice.

I went out and got some kitten wet food but beyond that I have no Idea how to care for a kitten.

She will need all her shots and spayed but im not sure when?

So hit me with some knowledge!


Thanks everyone !
Bout two months on the spay. It's personal preference on food. We use a dry food called 4Health from Tractor Supply. Totally grain free and 100% meat based. It's a little more costly than the mainstream store brands, but it's much better for them. They actually eat less, because it fills them up more, so it's probably about breakin even. Get her a litter box and chunk her in it every now and then. She'll train herself.
 
I would like her to be an inside / out side cat but we will see how that goes?

Im not sure how that works?

I guess she stays inside for the first few months the she goes out side and just pray she come back?
She will last much longer as an inside only pet. We've learned tha the hard way through the years, so we just put up with any accidents and clean up accordingly. We've been out here since 2002 and I can count the number of mice we've had in the house on one hand. They ain't got a chance.
 
Chewy.com is your friend. Get your kitten a couple of these. Just add catnip.

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I used my wife's plant sprayer set on " cat " (water pistol) and give the cat a shot of water whenever it claws furniture or anything else.
If you do it sneaky like, the cat learns to stop doing whatever when it gets wet, thinking it's the furniture squirting them .
They learn quickly .
Hope it helps.
Good luck
 
I didn't read the whole thread but keep the litter clean or it helps them get worms. Also I never declaw mine he never go's out side but one day he could get out and I want him to have a good shot at staying alive. Getting scratched is part of having a cat. Especially if you play rough like my buddy likes . I don't train mine. So he has the run of the house if you have things they can knock over it will probably get broken lol. I do run my cat off the kitchen counter and my model table tho. Idk if this helps I've had alot of cats but he's the last one for now

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If you look at a diagram of a cat's foot, you see the entire claw. It's not just the "plastic like" part that does the scratching, it includes what would be up to their "first knuckle" of their fingers. We had one declawed cat that we inherited from a long time church friend. She had the cat declawed, because she had some really exquisite high end furniture. I get it, but still. The cat ended up being one of the sweetest ones we had. She really wanted to be an outside cat, but we didn't let that happen. Ultimately, you as the owner certainly have that right. I just recommend against it.
 
Keep her inside and safe! Like others said cats can be trained to not use their claws and be "soft pawed" while playing etc. Dang Rusty I also inherited a declawed cat from a church friend, how odd is that. Her forearms were completely different(skinny) from a normal cat I'm guessing due to the declawing.

Congrats on the family addition!
Clean water and litter will get you a gold star from ms. kitty. Try not to switch up her litter and food once you settle on favorites and I'd say avoid scented litter altogether.
 
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