I found a stray kitten a week ago. She was very weak, and hungry. I bought worm medication for her and she is putting on weight. I would like to bring her inside. I have never owned a cat. So I have a few questions.
1. Is it hard to litter train a cat?
2. How can I tell how old she is?
3. How can I keep her from scratching everything in sight?
4. Does she need access to food constantly, once a day,or several times a day?
5. How old does a cat need to be to be spayed?
6. I have a dog who will not care if she is here or not. Is there any health risks for her that I should know about?
7. I do not want my house to smell. What is the best brand of litter?
I appreciate any advice you can give me.
Thanks!!
Answers:
Since this is your first cat, my top two suggestions are 1; get her to a vet, and 2; go out and get yourself a book on cats. Cats for Dummies is a wonderful reference book that covers pretty much every aspect of cat care, training, discipline, and health problems.
It's not hard to litter train a cat. Put her in the box and gently take her paw and "dig" in the sand. Remember, gently. If she has an accident on the floor, say "No!" and put her and her poo in the box. Cats usually catch on pretty quickly because they prefer to go in a spot where they can bury their business. This is instinctual so the training process is usually quick and painless.
A vet will be able to tell you how old the kitten is based on the condition of the teeth.
Scratching can easily be averted to acceptable things in your house. Keep scratching posts and/or cardboard scratchers (which my cat prefers and are less expensive) around your home. If the kitten scratches on unacceptable surfaces, spray her with water. Try to make sure she doesn't see you doing it or she'll know that she can do it as long as you're not around to spray her. Take her to the scratchers and mimic scratching on them. When she DOES use the scratchers, praise her. If you want to protect your furniture in the meantime, some double-sided tape placed over the spots where cats scratch (usually vertical surfaces like the edges of couches and chairs) will help deter her. Cats hate the feel of it on their paws. Never use aluminum foil (some cats like to eat it), and keep at the training.declawing a cat is inhumane and very painful for the cat.
Her feeding schedule depends on her age. Most young kittens can be fed several times a day. If she's still underweight, try feeding her 3-4 times a day. As she fills out and ages, it's desirable to take her down to 2 meals a day. Most adult cats don't need to be fed any more than twice a day.
Most cats are spayed between 4 and 6 months of age. Some vets will do it sooner, but 6 months is usually the latest recommended age.
Most dogs take to kittens just fine (and vice versa). Just make sure the kitten doesn't get too rough with the dog (a cat scratching a dog's eye can be very damaging). And if the cat has any worms, fleas, ticks, etc. it's possible for those things to be transmitted to the dog. Talk to your vet about deworming. OTC wormers can be dangerous and inaffective, so I wouldn't recommend using any more of those.
We used to use Tidy Cats Small Spaces for my cat, but have since found that the Tidy Cats Crystals work MUCH better. It keeps the smell down, and you don't have to worry about the "crumbling" that clumping clay litters are notorious for (I even tried one with "new, no crumble action"..it didn't work).
For the lifelong health of your kitten, I recommend getting her on a high quality food. And no, Science Diet isn't high quality. Neither is Iams, Whiskas, Nine Lives, Fancy Feast, Meow Mix, etc. Look at the ingredients list on a bag/can of food. If "by-product" and "corn" are listed, avoid that food. You want to look for foods with REAL meat listed as the FIRST ingredient, and more nutritional fillers like peas. Some good brands are Wellness (which my male loves..his poop doesn't smell as bad, it's not as bulky, he's lost some weight, his coat is softer and shinier, etc.), Natural Balance, Nature's Variety, Wysong's, and Solid Gold. Innova Evo is a good food, but high in phospherous..and I don't know why.
The same can be said for your dog, who also needs proper nutrition. Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Nature's Variety, Wellness, and Blue Buffalo..all good dog foods:)
Good luck!
Cats are very smart and learn quickly
it only took my cat 3 dayz 2 be little trained:)
you might have 2 ask a vet 2 see how old it is
they is special spray stuff that u put of furniture that cats don't like so they won't scratch it
i feed my cats 2 times a day and they see m2 be fine:)
i don't know about getting spayed both my cats are but i don't remember how old they were
the best brad of little is the kind that look like crystals
i mix the crystal like with reguar so it will last longer
also put the little box in a place that u don't go very often:)
Hope u enjoy your new kitten!:)
well hun first of all it is sorta hard to litter train her all u need to do is get the litter box fill it then put her in the littler box take her paws and scratch in it then lay her butt down then take her up and then scratch with her paws on the litter again this helps her to know that that is were she needs to go. She will not scratch everything in sight hehe. You should put out a bowl of kitty food and water so it will have food and water whenever she needs it. you get it spayed at age 2. You need to let the kitten know that the dog was there first.And litter is litter none is the best.
The best advice is to make a vet appointment so they can tell you how old the kitten is, what vaccines it needs, if is was wormed properly,and if it needs to be tested for FeLV/FIV. They will tell you when it should be fixed too.
They will answer ALL and ANY questions about the kitten and give you a new kitten "goodie bag" with some important info. Usually a "starter" dose of Advantage also!
She will take to the litter box naturally. Just show her where it is. Your vet can tell you how old she is.she needs an initial checkup. Buy her a scratching post or pad. You can put out a food bowl for her so she can access it whenever she needs it.in a separate room than her litter box. You can spay a cat usually at about 8 months old. She and the dog will most likely get along pretty well and may eventually drink from the same water bowl. Fresh Step cat litter is the best. Most cats prefer a covered litter box.
i can help you with some of it.
1.all the cats i have owned took to the litter box very easily.just show her where it is
2.i usually leave food out all day but 2 to 3 times a day would also be good
3.and as long as the dog and the cat are healthy there shouldn't be any health risk
4.any cat litter is good as long as you clean the box regularly.but the litter with the crystals smells the best(any brand)
i hope this helps you out some
1:im sure you can get lots of advice on litter box training but i think if you give them a litterbox put them in it everytime they go to the bathroom if they go in the litterbox give the kitty praise and kitty treats
2: take her to a vet and they should be able to find out how old she is if you dont want to do that shes at least under 1 year old
3: scratching post soft claws DO NOT listen to people who say declawing thats like you amputating the tips of your fingers
4:not sure probaly a couple of months
5: the dog and her actaully might become friends and if you take her to the vet you should get all her shots but i had a stray and we had her for at least ten years and we dont know if she had shots or not
7.arm and hammer cat litter but just a warning if the cat doesnt like the feel of the litter they wont use the litter box and amke sure you have all the supplies you need to take care of a cat
i wouldnet bother getting kitty toys most cats ignore teh expensive things and like : boxes,string,milk bottle rings, their own tail, and wrapping paper
Hicks chick - go to www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled "Base Camp - How to Prepare for your New Cat". That will answer a lot of questions and get you started with the cat. When your questions get more specific someone here will be happy to help you with them.
I think it's better to start off with a qualified veterinarian's suggestions and then move on from there.
The book "Cats for Dummies" is a really good primer and reference book on all things cat - behavior, diet, shot and veterinary needs etc. I suggest you pick that up as soon as you can. It's good to have it in the house for handy reference.
if u take it to the vet or ur person takes cares of animals they can answer all ur questions
1 their mom usually shows them how - they have a natural desire to want to dig/bury poops and pee
2 a vet can tell by the teeth
3 this is typical kitten behavior and discouraging it can lead to mental problems.. later she will grow out of it or you can buy products to cover her nails - provide proper scratching places
4 dry food all the time, 1 teaspoon canned 1-3 x day depending on age
5 six months
6 rabies worms. make sure both are vaccinated
7 non-scented clumping with baking soda - more importantly the best food you can feed will reduce amounts of poop and odor in the poop - grocery store and wal mart foods are loaded with filler and low in nutrition, always avoid by-products (beaks feet feathers) get a food with CHICKEN MEAL, LAMB MEAL, or TURKEY MEAL as first ingredient - rice second
ALSO - It is ILLEGAL to KEEP any pet you "FIND" you MUST report finding her first to the SPCA or humane society in your area.. if nobody reported loosing her you will be ok to keep her but if somebody has reported loosing her and you are found with her (unreported finding) you could be charged with theft so make sure you report finding her.
worm medication from stores will not kill all types of worms a vet could help more and vaccinate
here are my answeres..
1.is really is not hard to train a kitten to go to the bathroom, just lift the kitten up by its chest and belly and lift it up about 2 to 3 inches off the ground walkit the his liter box do this every 2 hours and your cat should know where the literbox is in 4 to 5 days.
2. go to the vet to see how old the kitten is.
3.go to the vet to get her front nails cut,if she continues then get a plain squirt bottle fill it with water and when she does it spray her in the face then she'll know its bad.
4.if you want her to be chubby then make sure she always has some type of food in her bowl with water, if you want her to be normal then 3 times a day.
5.the cat needs to be 5 months old to be sprayed.
6.there is no health risk but fleas, if your cat has them then your dog will have them, if your dog has them then the cat will have them, if your cat and dog have them or not have them then there is not problem.
7. the cat litler that i uses mostly is "scoop", it takes away the odor and clumps together.
hope this helps.
1. Cat's arent hard to litter train, put her/him in the litter box a few times a day. they will just get used to that's where they are supose to go.
2. you can tell how old she is when you bring her to the vet. they usalley know by the weight and size she is
3. You can buy them scratching post. Cat's love them and they dont scartch your stuff as much.
4. you should just leave hard food out for her all day. and since she's little give her soft food a few times a day. but if you give her soft food make sure that she gets the hard food too
5. Ask your Vet how old she needs to be to be spayed
6. If your dog doesnt hurt her she should be fine. but you should bring her to the vet asap to get her shots since she was an out door cat. she could have rabies or something that you dont want your dog to get
7. Fresh step. I used the cheap brand for a while and the room where the cat box was in made the room stink. but as soon as i change to fresh step i couldnt even smell that the box was in there.
The most advice i can say is bring her inside she is just a kitten she needs love and warmth that you can give her. and take her to the vet asap
1. It's not hard to litter train it. Put the cat in a small bathroom or enclosed area with the litter box for a few days so it knows where it is and can find it.
2. Age can't really be determined. If its full of energy and smaller you know its younger, but thats all I got. Sorry.
3. Scratching Post, again with the small room. Keep it in there with food, water, litter, and the post and theres no furniture for her to scratch and it'll get used to that. Or get the front claws declawed. ((It wont hurt them))
4. A couple times a day they should have foor.
5. Not that old, we got our cat only after a couple months and got that done.
6. If they get along, its fine!
7. Tidy Cats is good.
Hope that helps!
well to tell how old she is then go to the vet thell tell you!
It actually is very easy to litter train, just make sure the kitten can get in and out of the box
the best way to tell age is by taking the kitten to the vet and have a thorough work up done (age, gender, shots, special needs(if stray can be malnourished, full of parasites that Otc's don't kill etc) to give you a better idea how to care for the kitten
I prefer free feeding (food available at all times) most smaller kittens readily adapt to this as they can eat when they are hungry, scheduled feedings means you need to plan to be home once or twice daily to keep the feeding schedule, and if you work late, cover for another shift, whatever, it throws them off
Most vets (you will have to check with yours) can/do recommend getting an animal fixed at 10-12 weeks
Make sure your dog is current on all shots, and make sure you know the dog does not have worms, and is on a preventative. Also make sure the litter box is not something that the dog thinks is a treat box, UGH litter crunchers gross, enough said
I have 2 cats and find the tidy cat brand w/ the red lid tends to work the best for me and my cats
Good Luck and Happy New Pet Owning!
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