What should you expect when you get a new kitten?

Answer 1

You will need to buy some food, of course (see the Related Question below for help with what food to buy). An adult cat needs 1 large (5.5 ounce) can, or two small (2.2 to 3.0 ounce) cans of of wet food, or 1 heaping cup of dry food a day. Or, if you choose to feed the cats both wet and dry food (which I personally would recommend), 1 small can (half a large can) and 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of dry food a day.

If you give the kitten food that is specifically labeled "kitten food," then the amount of food you need to give is the same. If you give it food labeled "for adult cats and kittens" then you will need to double the amount of food. Kitten food is essentially the same as adult cat food, but with twice as many calories.

Cats grow to full maturity in about a year. When the kittens are around 8 months old, you can start feeding them regular, adult-sized portions of adult cat food.

As for water, you can just use a regular bowl and fill it with fresh, clean water twice a day. There are also kitty kat water fountains you can buy. I have one, and the cats love it. That way, you don't have to remember to change the water twice a day; it comes with a tank of water attached to it, which lasts about a week. And then every two weeks or so you need to clean out the fountain and the tank, which only takes like, 15 minutes. You can buy them online at Drs. Foster and Smith. See the Related Link.

You will also need a litter box and some litter. I personally would recommend the crystal kind (like Clear Choice Crystals) because 1) it lasts twice as long, 2) it does an excellent job preventing odor, 3) it tracks less than the other brands, so less of it will end up scattered all over your house, and 4) you don't have to remove the urine. It sinks to the bottom and the litter absorbs it completely. So you only have to remove the feces (until it's time to change the litter, of course).

And don't forget to get a litter box scooper, unless you're willing to sacrifice one of the large slotted serving spoons from your kitchen.

A covered litter box will help eliminate odor. Usually a litter box lid has a vent on top, and you can buy this charcoal or carbon-based sheets that fit into the vent, further eliminating odor. I'm sorry, I forget what they're called, but the people at Petco or another pet supply store will know what you're talking about.

You will need some kind of scratching post, unless you're like me and you don't really care that much about your furniture getting scratched up. Cats NEED to scratch (see the Related Links below). It is totally unrealistic to expect to be able to keep your cat from scratching. So unless you don't mind the cats scratching up your furniture, you will need to provide them with something to scratch, and train them to use it (again, see the Related Links).

One option -- at least until you have trained them not to scratch the couch -- is getting cloth covers for the furniture. They look nice, they're not expensive, and when the cats have shredded them to pieces, you can just get new ones.

Toys! Different cats like different toys, so buy a few different kinds. Small rubber bouncy balls are very popular. Also, the little maraca mice (toy mice that are filled with beads and rattle when you shake them). The long rods with a string and a feather attached to them are also favorites. You can also get catnip toys: there's the catnip cigar, the catnip banana, and the catnip turtle. They're basically just pouches of catnip covered with cloth.

But the very best cat toy, in my opinion, is the laser pointer. Cats just love to chase the little red dot of light around (although you have to be careful not to point it straight into their eyes). They only cost about $12. And the best part is, you don't have to run around with the cat. You can just sit on the couch and point the thing around.

You will also need a vet. The kittens will need their first shots and vaccines ASAP, and from then on they will need yearly checkups and booster shots.

If you need help finding a vet, see the Related Links below. I have also included a link to a pet emergency hospital locator. You should know where to take your cats in case of an emergency.

Try to keep all electrical cords and wires -- like the TV and the computer cords -- tucked away neatly, because kittens will chew on anything and could electrocute themselves. Also, make sure that there aren't any places where the kittens could get stuck or trapped. They will run and jump and climb and explore every inch of your house.

If you live in an apartment building, you HAVE to have screens in the windows. Unless you plan on keeping your windows closed every minute of every day. The cats can, and will, fall out the windows to their deaths if you do not have screens. I'm not sure if they have any understanding of how high up off the ground their home is, but it doesn't matter, because even if they do know, they will still jump out the window if a bird lands on the windowsill. Their hunting instinct kicks in, and...they leap out to their death. Actually, once, one of our childhood cats tried to jump through the wooden venetian blinds to get a bird that had landed on the windowsill (the window was closed, too). She smacked her head into the venetian blinds and fell to the floor.

Even if there is no bird, they are still liable to go out walking on the windowsill, 14 stories up. My cat Hudson nearly gave me a heart attack doing that (I had to remove the screens to wash the windows, but I'd forgotten to lock the cats upstairs).

And make sure the screens are in tightly and securely. One of our other childhood cats jumped after a bird on the windowsill once, and since the screen was loose he was able to jump through. We were 5 stories up. Luckily, he landed in some bushes, and suffered no more than a few bruises. But it could have been much worse.