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Alright so my fiance and I just got a kitten.

So a bit of back story of how we got the kitten:

We got the kitten today. It is eight weeks old. (Black fur, green eyes, named him Dante - beautiful kitten!) Now you see the owners of said kitten didn't want it anymore; and they said if they didn't find a home for it today they'd put it on the streets. (Great people.) They couldn't afford it, barely had it two weeks. So our neigbhor (call him J) took in the kitten for all of ten minutes. He has three cats so couldn't have it. Plus one of his cats didn't like the kitten. So my fiance and I got home from the shop; and ran into J before we got into the house. We talked a bit; and accepted the kitten. At first we thought it was a girl because the ex owners told J it was a she; then J's girlfriend came over double checked...it was a boy. So simple to say the four of us are not pleased with the ex owners!! And it has worms which we'll get fixed a.s.a.p.

So to the now:

We have cans of cat food, a cat litter, a cat bed and a few toys plus the litter tray.

The kitten is getting use to staying in its bed; since were trying to train it to not sleep in our bed. But it still climbs onto our bed; it can't jump on it but it climbs up on the sheets like a cliff climber. (It is very intelligent.) And does not seem to want its bed; any tips? It comes on the bed again and again to join us. (Sitting on a pillow usually.)

Also is it okay to have an indoor cat? As in do all cats need to go outside or are some happy to be inside all the time?

Any tips on do's and don'ts? Our friend next door is helping out too but knowing other views is good too. (:

Funny note: He fell asleep on his back stretched out; his arms and legs stretched out too ! XD

Dante!~

Dante staring at me using the phone.
Cats actually do way better as indoor only cats. It sooo much safer and healthier long-term for them. You also don't have to buy flea meds because it's so rare for indoor cats to get them, you only medicate as needed. I have four indoor only cats myself and only one is even remotely interested in going outside, and she only wants to eat the grass.


If you want to let her have some fun outside, I'd recommend getting him a harness and training him to go for walks with you. As soon as he's dewormed and got his shots etc, you should get him neutered so that he doesn't start spraying. He's techie old enough at 8 weeks, but you want to make sure he's healthy and ready for the procedure. Some vets offer kitten kits (everything you need done in a discounted package) so its worth asking.

For kittens, make sure you're either using non-clumping clay litter, or clumping biodegradable natural litters like World's Best. I use WBCL for my cats and my ferret and I love it. Non-dusty, excellent odor control + clumping action, as well as the convenience of being able to flush it.


For food, you want high protein and high fat: think 40% protein 20%fat and as little grains/carbs as possible. Especially for a kitten the fat and protein are super important. I feed Orijen, but there are a few other good brands as well. Make sure you're feeding wet food as well so that you don't create a kibble addict.

Lol obviously he'd rather be in bed with you - kittens love to pile on people and snuggle where it's warm. If you want him in his bed, maybe get him a hot water bottle or a microwaveable bean bag to snuggle with in his bed.

Fanatical Fairy

Post a picture? smile
Food: Raw is ideal; if you're going to feed processed, wet is better than dry, dry should be watered down. You want something grain free, high protein/fat, low carb. Can post brands if you want.

Litter: For a kitten, make sure it's non-clumping (if stuff like clay)
Box should be scooped at least once a day

Bed: Make your bed unappealing, make his bed great; when he's getting sleepy, place him in his bed; keep it warm and cozy, somewhere he an access it easily, ideally somewhere that it's bathed in sunlight most of the day.

Inside-outside: Indoors is best. Kitty shouldn't be outside unless he's harnessed and leashed or in a kitty-proof enclosure (small spacing between bars, covered, etc..). Around here we frown on outdoor, free-roam kitties.

Cat trees are great. When he's full grown, you want to be able to provide him with an at least three-foot high vertical scratching spot, ideally, so that he can fully stretch up. If you can find a good, reasonably priced, sturdy cat tree that's around six feet high, scoop it up; your cat will forever love you for it. You may want something shorter while he's young, though.
(ETA: If you can find it, the FURemover brush is great for cleaning things like the cat tree; does nothing for brushing long-haired monsters, but may work on short-haired ones. I find slicker brushes work well; not a bit fan of the metal-bristle ones, though, personally)

Get him fixed (neutered) as soon as you can, so there's no risk of him creating spawn and to cut down on the likelihood of him spraying and fighting to roam free and such.

Don't punish him for doing something naughty. Distract him (loud sound), divert his attention onto something good, and reward.

You'll want to keep him contained to a small space for the first couple weeks, so he can learn where his box is (general rule is one per cat plus one) and whatnot. During that time, kitty-proof: look for some plastic tubing to cover wires, put breakables away, get in the habit of not leaving food out anywhere ever pretty much, etc.. Unlike with dogs you can't just put something up high and hope kitty can't reach, because they have a lot more ability and ways to get up there. Make sure there's no holes in the walls or small spaces that he could get stuck in - cats fit in tiny spaces easily.

Being taken from his mom and littermates so young it's quite possible he'll end up with some behaviour issues like suckling, not having as great of bite/sratch inhibition, etc..

Do NOT declaw. It's horrible for the kitty and there's pretty much never a reason for it. If you're having issues with him scratching stuff, look for nail caps.

Look for the book "Think Like A Cat" by Pam Johnson-Bennett, as well as maybe other titles.
Invest in some good toys (feather/toy wands, a handful of mice, ball-in-a-track, etc..)
Don't hesitate to ask lots of questions

And, of course, share lots of pictures of him with us.
Henrika



I think I'll make Dante an indoor cat; I agree it is safer and they can still exercise. Plus no chance of disease of any sorts or the very threatning being run over.

Is walking a cat considered weird? Some find it weird. @.@

I need to get him dewormed this coming week on Thursday and get his shots. When we visit a vet do we need to make an appointment??

He didn't have great owners so I don't think I want him neuted yet; I fear he isn't healthy enough. A kitten kit? I'll ask about that thank you ! (: Would 10 weeks old be okay to get enuted?? Or sooner??

"World's best" I'll look into that; hopefully they have it in our area. <3

We got wet food so that is good.~ Our brands aren't really "classy" but he likes them. I suppose as time goes on we could increase to fancier food. : D

He's settled in his bed for now; so we may buy a little bean bag to warm up for him. I knew why he'd rather be with us and as adorable as it is we want him to learn to use his bed. At least while he's a kitten. <3

I'm glad to know indoor cats are okay most I know are outdoor. So that's a relief. <3
Gutter Punk Sway
Post a picture? smile


Sure! Just up-loaded it from my phone. > w < He's a wrrigler with photo's so sorry if it isn't super great.~

My fiance holding kitty

Hunter Dante. cool

Fanatical Fairy

Kanto_Mint
Gutter Punk Sway
Post a picture? smile


Sure! Just up-loaded it from my phone. > w < He's a wrrigler with photo's so sorry if it isn't super great.~

My fiance holding kitty

Hunter Dante. cool


So cute!
~ Aki - Fairy ~


Food: We have wet food. (: So that's good then. Know any English brands?

Drink: Forgot to ask; water or milk? Our friends cats love milk, don't like water, my other friends cats like water not fond of milk???? O.O

Litter: Do you need to replace the litter itself every day or just the kitten's "do do". XD Sounds so immature ha ha.

Bed: We have his bed in our room it is the warmest room. We have windows closed most of the time; and we live upstairs from someone. So if they use a heater we get warmth too. We do have a heater too. We want to spoil him but not too much as well.~

Inside-outside: 95% of cats our outdoors in England as far as I know. So that is really odd to me. But good since I'd rather Dante be indoor. <3


Cat trees? When he's full grown that would be a good present, we live in a flat so we don't want anything super high though.

We'll try and get him nueted a.s.a.p. We wanted to get his health up first since he didn't have good ex owners; not abusive but...eh. Not so caring. We'll call a vet probably tomorrow.

So it isn't punishment more like trickery???

We checked the flat and cleaned up a lot due to his small size. He went under our sofas and behind them and under our draws. It was very adorable. He is very adventurous and smart. He acts like a tiny panther about to pounce and even walks a bit. (He doesn't pounce though.)

He has a good bite/scratch; we learned since he played with my fiance. His scratch is better. He has good reflexes. (:

I wont declaw then; if it is just mean and not needed then I wont. I feel bad about getting the poor boy nueted. My mom had to do it with her dog; she felt so guilty.

We have four balls in total different sizes and he has a mini pillow. So he might need an upgrade. We have had him all of 1-2 hours. So were starting to plan.~

Will do ! (: He is so well behaved, he explores the house a lot. He can climb on our bed not by jumping but jumping and clinging with claws onto the dovet and climbing his way up. Very smart. The ex owners missed out big time. He's so lovely and quiet. Quick on his feet though. <3 And loves a belly rub. <3

Picture 1

Dante!~
Gutter Punk Sway



I agree! He is so tiny even at eight weeks ! <3
Fiance trying to bond with him; he bonded with me most. But then he rested on my chest....-___- So cute though.~ And I held him the longest.~
Kanto_Mint

You'll want to avoid giving him milk and other dairy products as cats are lactose intolerant.
I don't know for sure what's available in Europe. Some brands my cat and I like, though, are Wellness, Orijen/Acana (no wet formula at present sad ), Now!/Go!, BestFelineFriend/Weruva

Litter: Scoop out the poop and pee-spots daily, full change weekly/every other week, depending on his habits and diet and such.
Feeding on a schedule = pooping on a schedule, which will help; feeding a high quality diet will generally result in smaller, less-stinky poops.

Finding a suitable tree that fits in your space may be difficult, I know (yay small house). You could also look into hanging a series of kitty-shelves and such about the room, so that floor space isn't taken up, but kitty can still get high. Cats like to be high, just because it sort of gives them the upper hand, so to speak - they can see what's going on all around them, and it's usually easier to sneak-attack from above than below; it also means they can't necessarily be reached if they don't want to be, especially by children and dogs.
Just make sure he has a nice place to roost where he can be bathed in sunlight (and see outside), and he'll be a happy little clam. They even make suction-cup-attaching window seats for cats.

Don't feel bad about neutering - he has no need for his balls and the world really doesn't need more accident-litter kittens.

You'll definitely want more toys; the nice thing about cat toys is that they don't have to be expensive; most of what my cat has is from the dollar store, and I also play with her with dog toys (if I want to get a little closer and such but still protect my hand)
What's super fun is clicker-training with kitty. Clickers are only a few dollars, treats depend on what you buy, and a targetting stick is as cheap/expensive as you want (personally I use the wand from a dollar store wand-toy for which the string/toy was wrecked). Training kitties is an absolute blast and just as easy as training dog - similar methoding, too.


Dante's adorable - you're going to have tons of fun, love him to bits, and want to kill him on a semi-daily basis
~ Aki - Fairy ~


Thank you for the brands! Worth a look.~ And I suppose they like milk but can't handle it. Weird how many cats have milk. o.o

Litter: Sounds simple enough. <3

Feeding on a schedule sounds like a good idea; soonish we wont always be here lunch time; so how do we handle that? He's only a kitten so doesn't eat a lot anyway. How much should we feed him as a kitten?

Might look into kitty shelves then or the tree.~

Alright; good to know! (:

I'll have to look into that too training a cat would be fun. Were in the UK but I know the rough ratio dollars to pound so that's fine.

Dante = "No I wont go in my bed. Well I will for a bit. Then try to jump on your bed fail because I'm too short, then climb up the dovet like a cliff climer!" XD I love him to bits; so does my fiance. Dante loves playing with my fiance with his nails and teeth while I get the cuddles; so my fiance is sure to want to kill him now and then ha ha ! He is adorable the owners really missed out big time. He's really well behaved too.

We got him this evening; fed him one meal then another half of a meal. Another hour or two later he's hungry now....should we feed him? We don't want to over-feed but I don't know how much he did get fed. @.@

Lonely Gaian

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They like to bite and kittens love to play with people
ll DizzySnowFire ll
They like to bite and kittens love to play with people


Well our kitten does both a lot ha ha. <3 So that's good.~
Kanto_Mint
Henrika



I think I'll make Dante an indoor cat; I agree it is safer and they can still exercise. Plus no chance of disease of any sorts or the very threatning being run over.

Is walking a cat considered weird? Some find it weird. @.@

I need to get him dewormed this coming week on Thursday and get his shots. When we visit a vet do we need to make an appointment??

He didn't have great owners so I don't think I want him neuted yet; I fear he isn't healthy enough. A kitten kit? I'll ask about that thank you ! (: Would 10 weeks old be okay to get enuted?? Or sooner??

"World's best" I'll look into that; hopefully they have it in our area. <3

We got wet food so that is good.~ Our brands aren't really "classy" but he likes them. I suppose as time goes on we could increase to fancier food. : D

He's settled in his bed for now; so we may buy a little bean bag to warm up for him. I knew why he'd rather be with us and as adorable as it is we want him to learn to use his bed. At least while he's a kitten. <3

I'm glad to know indoor cats are okay most I know are outdoor. So that's a relief. <3
Generally you do call ahead of time to book your appointment, while some vets allow walk ins, most require appointments. If you're worried about his health, simply cask your vet about it. You will probably want to wait at least 2 weeks to let him get settled in and dewormed + effects from shots are worn off in any case before neutering.

Keep in mind, the younger you get the neuter done, the faster he will heal and the less it will bother him. There are a lot of pros to early alters, so I highly recommend getting it done asap. 3/4 my cats were early alters, done at 6-7weeks old, and they are all females so the surgery was even more invasive. They were bouncing around like mad only a few hours after coming from getting spayed, while our oldest cat who we had spayed at 6months old took about a week to fully recover and get back to normal.

Don't get hung up on "classy/no-name" brands per say, it's far more important that you read the labels. Avoid things with lots of veggies/carbs, and grains like corn/wheat etc. in particular.

Make sure there's no "cellulose" or un-named animal meats. Like if it says "animal by-product" or "meat" for example, there is a high likelihood that you would be feeding powdered wood chips and roadkill.

Plus, another thing to consider, when you buy high end/good quality foods you will feed half what you would feed of a lesser quality brand. This is because theres no fillers, only the good stuff, and it keeps your cat healthy and strong. (Which also means fewer vet visits down the road.)


While he's young, you also really want to get him used to things like nail trimming (should be done every 2 weeks, careful not to cut the quick/vein) and brushing his teeth. Get a teeny toothbrush meant for people with braces and enzymatic cat toothpaste and get him used to brushing his teeth. This should be done around 2 times a week, and will save you bucket loads of money down the road when you don't have to pay the vet to do dental work. (Costs on average $400-$600 per dental.)
Henrika


De-wormed needs to happen a.s.a.p since I don't want worms in my flat. X.X

I'll try and get him nueted a.s.a.p too then. =3

Alright then; I'll focus more on whats in it and if he likes it.~

He's so quick to move; nail clipping will be tough since he fidgets. (Don't know how to trim nails...fun.)

Never heard of people brushing the cats teeth; interesting.

Wow....be about £200+ here. X.X Nice idea!~ Thanks. : D

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