New convert, left the dog side for cats ;D

Hi everyone!

I was always a dog person and one day I saw a craigslist ad for a kitten. Unfortunately on impulse I adopted my kitten Chloe when she was a little over 7 weeks old (way too young). 

Well she's been with me for a few weeks now and she hit 12 weeks two days ago. I'm not so great at introductions... Anyways I got into cats when I was reading another book on dog psychology and behavior. It had a section on cats for some reason. I then realized I did not know ANYTHING about cats. Absolutely nothing. I was filled with curiosity and embarrassment and immediately went out to check out some books at the library. I picked up quite a few books (some very good) like Your Cat  by Elizabeth Hodgkins. I picked up this book because I was a firm believer in feeding species appropriate food for dogs and I figured it would be the same for cats as I knew they were obligate carnivores. I got the books Twisted Whiskers  and Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat by Pam Bennette, a few books by Vicky Halls. They really opened my eyes. It wasn't a few years later that I ended up with Chloe. 

I have SO MANY questions still regarding cats. I figured me knowing the materials is nothing compared to having experience and I'm glad I found this website.

I have a few questions to ask and hopefully someone can answer them. I will ask below but if I have to make separate threads please let me know!

1. Chloe is now 12 weeks old. She is getting her second and LAST booster shot for HCP (non adjuvanted) next Wednesday. However I will be getting another kitten her age this upcoming Sunday. The newbie cat already had all his shots. Is it safe to let them interact with each other? Or should I keep him in quarantine until Chloe gets her second booster?

2. Feeding raw: Chloe was eating a variety of foods when I got her. She started on Fancy Feast and I took her off of it via Stella and Chewy's. Then she was eating NV Raw Bites, Honest Kitchen and Stella and Chewy's. She really does not like NV Raw BItes and she wasn't really eating and I know that can be detrimental to a kitten's health (she was eating less than 3 ounces of food, she is at 2lbs and 3 ounces). I gave her some chicken thighs (raw) and now she won't eat anything else. When can I start feeding her RMB? She can eat pretty big chunks of chicken thighs (.5 ounce pieces). Do I just give her half of a chicken wing for her to chew on? Or are chicken ribs better? I am so confused lost on this. 

Another raw feeding question. The newbie cat is currently eating kibble. I don't think it will be difficult to wean him off but I had a concern. I know kibble takes a lot longer to digest than raw. Should I transition him to canned then raw? I don't want any issues with his digestive tract.

I'm very unsure of how to start kittens on RMB. Some people said to feed crushed chicken necks? Or can she start eating wings/necks/ribs on the go?

3. I had people tell me kittens are easy to introduce to each other and I should just put them together but closely supervise them. Chloe is around 2lbs and the newbie is at a whopping 6lbs. I was told he is a much calmer kitty compared to his friends. So is that ok to do or should I do a slow introduction? I will definitely have a intense play session with both of them separately and feed them before they get to interact. 

Sorry for the multitude of questions, I just want to get everything right!

And finally, the most important part. PICTURES!

She looked up from hearing the DSLR snapping away!


She's looking out the patio door. Getting distracted!


She was grooming herself but it looks like she's just sticking her tongue at me. 


This is a picture of the newbie kitten I'm getting. This lady has been rescuing cats in her areas. Trapping, neutering/spaying and finding homes for the kittens!

He's 3-4 months old and weighs 6lbs. How much do you think he'll weigh by the time he's full grown? Chloe is only 2lbs and 3 ounces at 12 weeks...

I am not good at nutrition, so I will leave those questions for the experts here.

But I would go the route of slow introductions, just to be on the safe side.  Kittens as young as Chloe shouldn't have a hard time meeting new cats but the new cat may be a bit put off by her.  Taking it slow and easy can't hurt.  When they get together, just supervise to make sure the bigger one doesn't overwhelm Chloe.

We had a 2 pounder and an 8 pounder and made the mistake of separating them too long.  The 2 pounder now weighs 11 pounds and has her own room!  She HATES all our other cats, with the exception of her brother, who will only spend ten minutes, tops, with her.  (In her defense, she's a tortie, so she's a little mad).

Bottom line, I was so afraid she'd be hurt, we let her get away with her nonsense and it's too late now.  We've tried screen door (which they rip open) and baby gates (which they figure out how to pull down).  She's just a diva and none of the other cats will put up with that.  They try to put her in her place and then all *** breaks loose.

BTW - both kitties are gorgeous!

Adorable kittens! Hi and welcome to TCS!

1. Re: vaccines - I really like what this vet (www.catinfo.org) has to say about vaccines. She recommends the last kitten shot to be given after 16 weeks to ensure that maternal antibodies are not interfering.

2. Have you seen the stickied threads at the top of the Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food forum? I will post the links later if needed. Kittens generally take to raw pretty quickly as you have found, but you do need to ensure it's properly balanced. Calcium is especially important for growing kittens. As for feeding RMB, chicken necks and ribs are good starters. Even better since she's so little would be Cornish game hens. You may have to crush the pieces a little at first with a hammer/mallet. If feeding chicken wings, the smaller 2 pieces (not the drummette) are best. As for feeding kibble and raw together, a lot of us have done it during transition without issues. I wouldn't worry about transitioning to canned first.

Wow,  from  happening to read a cat chapter in a dog book,  you sure have decided to dive in all the way into ailurophilia!

 There are many people here who like both dogs and cats.   

 Around 3-4 months is a good time to introduce some raw chicken necks or wings,  and  then try giving ribs of a small chicken or quail.  

You can ask in the Raw feeding sub-forum ( part of the Nutrition forum) for more advice.   I don't feed a complete raw  diet though

IMO it probably would be a good idea to convert the new kitten to canned first.  or at least don't feed the dry and raw at the same time but  as meals about 12 hours apart

Chloe is an adorable little girl and you have some great photos of her. 

It is usually considered "best practice"  to keep a new cat  or kitten separate for a couple weeks  just to make sure they are healthy & parasite-free,  and to then do a gradual introduction.     In practice,  a lot of people wouldn't wait that long with kittens and introductions between kittens are usually much quicker than with 2 adult cats.    I would still at least give it a few days of keeping him in his own room so he can start settling in to his new territory,  then at first supervise while they are together.   They'll probably be fine.   Kittens do often play rough but she'll let him know if it's TOO rough.   If she keeps coming back for more,  then she's fine.

Chloe is smaller than average for her age ,  the new boy is certainly bigger than average.  He looks massive!   rather like a colorpoint British Shorthair . (not saying he IS one  who was running around with ferals . Anyway Brits in that color pattern are very uncommon in the U.S.   I'm just saying he looks like he is similar in type in a few ways,  and British Shorthairs came from the random-bred cat population in England...and many cats in America descend from cats of that same race.    and there are just some big stocky cats like this among the 'domestic shorthairs' in the U.S.      with his size it's possible he might have some Ragdoll ancestry.

I can't tell from this one photo of part of the kitten if the massive look is just a large build,  heavy boning, roundish head and a plush coat,.  or if it's possible he is also already getting a bit overweight on that kibble.  So I am not totally sure how to interpret his weight and make a projection from it.   If he is not overweight I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up  16-20 pounds without being fat.   ( The average male cat at a healthy weight is more around 10-13 pounds.) 

Yeah I really jumped on the cat wagon.i think cats are just amazing!

Wow newbie is going to be pretty big! I hope I can switch him to raw asap! There was another picture of gim and he didn't seem too fat. Bur we'll see when I get him! Thanks foe the kind comments too.