TONS OF QUESTIONS FOR THE NEW MOM

fredsmom

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I have had my five week old kitten for three days. This is the first time I have ever owned a cat and I had some questions. His name is Fred and he is a black cat with white paws and bluish green eyes. A friends cat had him and she is a barn cat. All the kittens were different colors. What kind of cat would he be? A mixed breed? Also...he is on Purina Kitten chow and Friskies soft food for kittens. Are they good foods? His poops and pees are normal so far. He doesnt seem to drink much water and Im wondering if he doesnt know there is water in the bowl since he cant see it. I put some on my finger and let him lick it off and have him follow my finger to the bowl then he realizes its there but he seems to forget on his own. Also.. I have seen people post about deworming? What is this and when do I do it? I have only ever had dogs in the past and they took a pill. He doesn have a single flea on him which surprises me since he lived in a barn. I was thinking of making his vet appt. for next month since he is so little now. Any help would be greatly appreciated since I am in love with this little goober and want to make sure he gets the best care.
 

sandie

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Okay, lets see if I can get all of them. Cats who are not pure breeds are either called a domestic short hair or domestic longhair. Most people will know what you are talking about if you call him a barn cat. Kittens are born with blue eyes and it sounds like he will eventually end up with green eyes.
There is a big debate on cat foods. Usually over weather to feed a homeade diet and which brand really is the best. I think everyone will agree that it is much better for them to be on a premium food like Science Diet,Eukenuba,Pro plan,Nutro or Iams. They are all more digestable and make for less smell,better coat and better health. They also eat less since they are getting what they need. Wet food is a prefrence. I would use the same wet as you do dry if you plan to keep them on it. I myself do not feed wet food. As for the water. I would not panic just yet. Cats really dont drink as much as dogs. He is probably getting just the right amount for him. If it is next to his food, he knows where it is.
As for the de wormings. Yes, all kittens should be dewormed. You would have it done with the 1st distemper and the second set. I posted the vaccine schedule in your help post which is now in the health forum. It is usually a liquid called Strongid. He has about 3 weeks before his 1st vet visit. It is good to do your homework before hand. Although we put trust in vets, sometimes they lead us into making some wrong decisions. Rene, another member on the site and the president of a rescue here, just adopted a puppy to a loving home. They took him in for a check up, which she recomends and the vet said even though he was just vaccinated 4 days prior since they were there..they should go ahead and do the second one. Because they were so close together, the puppy in now very ill with Parvo because of the amount of vaccine given. Read over the schedule I posted and if you have any ?'s just ask.
 

Anne

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Just to add: whatever the vet tells you - do not declaw but do neuter him (there's plenty of time for that though). Some vets offer declawing as a routine procedure, I guess because it makes them extra money.

Also, could you please ask your friend to have the barn cats spayed and neutered? They will make just as good mousers and there are so many kittens in need of good homes (not to mention the millions that are euthanized every year). If she needs a low-cost spay/neuter solution, she can probably find one at http://www.spayusa.com

Thanks
 
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fredsmom

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I already decided Im not going to declaw him. Im buying him a big scratching post instead. If God forbid he escaped claws could save his life so Im leaving them. Beleive me.. I did dog rescue for years and I told my friend about the whole spaying and neutering thing and about animal overpopulation. He has a farm and tons of animals and there are so many cats that he said new ones show up all the time and he couldnt afford to fix all of them. SIGH! The ones who had kittens THIS TIME dont even have names and he didnt even know one was pregnant until she had her kittens. He's now trying to find homes for all these kitties so they arent all barn cats. I can only imagine how much they are going to reproduce within one year...sad. Either way Fred will be put out of commission as soon as he is bigger.
 

sandie

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LOL, "out of commission". I am so happy you decided to train him instead. With a tree and a little training, they are wondeful! I have 11 cats and I have had the same couch for 7 years without a mark. We trim thier nails every 2 to 3 weeks as well. Fred will thank you I am sure!!
 
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