Kitten Help!

jbosley

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Hello!

I have NEVER owned a Cat before, and have recently adopted a stray kitten. She is approximately 4 weeks now, took her to the vet to get her checked out and dewormed. They said she is healthy, yay! My question being what should she be eating?

I currently have her eating Baby Cat Wet and Dry food by Royal Canin. I mix the wet with the dry and add kitten milk to it! She gets this 2 times a day, and once a day she just gets some kitten milk. Is this okay? She eats like a pig! View media item 164680
 

vball91

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Oh, what sweet baby! I think what you're feeding now is fine, and you want to make sure she has plenty to eat as she grows. Cats need a high animal protein/low to no carb diet. I would encourage you to read www.catinfo.org for a lot of great info written by a vet on feline nutrition and health.

Given her age, I think the kennel is fine for now. I would kitten proof your spare room and give her free run of that when she's ready.

As for the litter, just make sure it's non-clumping. Kittens sometimes eat litter, and clumping litter would be very bad inside them.
 

ondine

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Oh she's a cutie! Sounds like you are doing just fine. I would keep her in the crate for a week or so, until she's really familiar with her new world. Make sure you "baby proof" the room before you leave her alone in it. When that time comes, you can let her out and stay with her as she familiarizes herself with the whole room. Same thing when you are ready to let her explore the entire house.
 
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jbosley

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Thanks guys! *Sigh of relief*

I really have no clue what I am doing! Dogs are one things, cats are so foreign to me... I will definitely have to spend some time to kitten proof that room for her soon! She does pretty good with the litter box, I couldn't find one shallow enough for her to actually get into, so I had to use a cardboard box. Guess I should hunt for a shallow tupperware container! The box won't hold up for long, haha.

I measure out the food, and let her eat until she is full! Sometimes she eats it all, sometimes she leaves some. I am just glad she is eating and using the litter box! Do I need to be bathing her with a warm cloth or will she generally clean herself?
 

vball91

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I hear that the aluminum roasting pans make good litter pans for kittens, shallow enough but more durable than a box.

You can probably start cutting back on the milk and just feed her food. 3 times a day is ok, but 4-5 times would be better. You could leave out a little dry food if you can't do more frequent feedings and feed wet when you are home. As a general rule, wet food is better for cats.

I'm not sure how much "training" she got from her mom, so if she's cleaning herself, good. If she isn't, you may need to help her out until she gets the hang of it. A warm damp washcloth is fine. Just make sure she doesn't get wet and cold.
 
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jbosley

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I hear that the aluminum roasting pans make good litter pans for kittens, shallow enough but more durable than a box.

You can probably start cutting back on the milk and just feed her food. 3 times a day is ok, but 4-5 times would be better. You could leave out a little dry food if you can't do more frequent feedings and feed wet when you are home. As a general rule, wet food is better for cats.

I'm not sure how much "training" she got from her mom, so if she's cleaning herself, good. If she isn't, you may need to help her out until she gets the hang of it. A warm damp washcloth is fine. Just make sure she doesn't get wet and cold.
You are a god send!
The milk is mighty expensive! So I would love to cut back on it...

I know that wet food is better, my sister and I recently adopted a 3 yr old Male cat (he is hers...) and he is primarily on wet. My Aunts 2 cats are completely on wet, with dry as a treat! That much I knew. That is a fantastic idea for a litter pan! Definitely going to hit the dollar store tomorrow. Unfortunately 3 times is all I can muster... but I will start leaving her some dry food and cut back on the milk.

So glad I found this forum!
 
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