MORE INFO? YES PLEASE!!!!

So as the days creep in to Christmas day I am wondering more about how much cats really depend on you so I was wondering how much you expert cat mom's and dad's could help me on this. I am so scared of all the things that can go wrong! I will be gone for around eight hours of the day Monday - Friday starting Jan. 3 but will be with him for around 1 week and a 1/2 so that might help a little to get use to the place.

I have prepared for him a little room ( kind of a medium sized walk in closet with a door) That has: a litter box with rugs under in, a little bed that he can jump in with a heating pad that has automatic shut off after 3 hours, some toys that will be scattered, a rounded shaped chair that he can also jump to in he wants, and last and most certainly important his food bowl!

With this said is there anything more he needs? Also may I add that we are after a week of so add in a flap door to the closet to let him explore my room since he will be use to the complete house after about 2 weeks I think!

Now I want to give you guys a list of questions, please only pick it if you know the answer and put the number of the question by your answer!

1.) Is it OK to have a fan in the room with him? (just a box fan)

2.) What food should I start him out with?  How much will it be? He is only 2 1/2 to 3 months old!

3.) Is there a better litter that I should start him on? Is there a good cheap litter out there?

4.) Is OK to keep him in a 5 ft by 3 ft area for a week?

5.) What will it cost to neuter, chip, and get him on all his shots? (Reminder om how old he is on question 2)

6.) Is there any dangerous toys out there for him?

7.) What is catnip and what is it used for?

8.) Am I being a good cat mom?

FROM: Jessica worrying about #DiegoJames!

1.) Is it OK to have a fan in the room with him? (just a box fan)

I would not leave a fan with him - he may know it over or try to bat at the running blade.

2.) What food should I start him out with?  How much will it be? He is only 2 1/2 to 3 months old!

3.) Is there a better litter that I should start him on? Is there a good cheap litter out there?

For both these questions, find out what he's Eating/ using now and get that.  You can always transition him over to new stuff later.  For now, he needs everything as familiar as possible.

4.) Is OK to keep him in a 5 ft by 3 ft area for a week?

That sounds fine, as long as he has toys and you spend some time with him each day.

5.) What will it cost to neuter, chip, and get him on all his shots? (Reminder om how old he is on question 2)

Between four and six months is a good age; ask your vet.  Costs - a clinic can do it for less but vets around me charge between $125 and $150 - that includes first shots.

6.) Is there any dangerous toys out there for him?

Anything he can chew pieces off of (strings, yarn and such are really dangerous).

7.) What is catnip and what is it used for?

Catnip is part of the mint family and some cats love it.  It gives them a good feeling (some people say they act "high).  Some cats don't even respond to it.

8.) Am I being a good cat mom?

Most definitely  

Ondine about covered it!

I'd recommend getting him a cat bed so he has a place to go cuddle and rest. For toys I agree with Ondine on nothing with strings or pieces that come off. Jingle balls are good, and so are plush toys. You could also invest in a "Track" toy which is a circle or other shape with a ball that runs on it.

I second the track toy (Turbo Chaser with Scratcher.) Also, if you can afford it, a small cat tree with sisal posts...something he can climb up. I order all of our cat trees from Wayfair.com. There are trees in every price range and most come with free shipping. Also, Chewy.com is a great place to order toys. Shipping is quick. Typically 2-3 days.

Definitely stay away from string, ribbon, yarn.

He is old enough to get his first round of kitten vaccines (and be dewormed.) I personally would wait until he is around 5 months to neuter. I just prefer them to be to at least 5 lbs for surgery.

Agreeing with Ondine.

ls there a reason you'll be confining him to a closet while you're out, as in do you have other cats he needs to be separated from while he settles in?

lf he's an only cat, and if you completely pet-proof your room, l don't see why you couldn't leave the closet door open while you're gone. But only if he's ready for that. Some kittens take longer than others to settle, and might benefit from the safety of the closet. Others are bold, and want to explore everything right away. The latter would benefit to being confined in the room and closet, but away from the rest of the house.

l'm not a fan on heating pads and have never used them. l keep my house at the same temp all the time for the kitties while l'm gone.

When l brought Rhys home, like you, l had almost 2 weeks off work for the settling in process. But l have other cats and a dog, and 3 floors of house, so l did rush things a wee bit. Here are a few pix of the closet space and my bedroom that he was allowed to roam for a week or so before being given "supervised visits" to other areas:

http://www.thecatsite.com/g/a/117526/kitten-intro-so-far-so-good/

I tend to agree on the heating pad.  If it's got a cord, I wouldn't use it, simple because he may chew on the cord.  I suspect he will become very bored all my himself quickly in that small area, so anything like a cord will become a plaything, because it can  move.  Is there a window in that closet?  If not, I would leave a light on for him.  And I would give him a stuffed animal to cuddle with while he's sleeping, but make sure it's "cat proof".

Question #5 is difficult to answer, as every Vet charges different, especially in different parts of the country.  You're going to need to call around to get prices on that one.   My boys were neutered at around 8 weeks (probably because they were turned over to the Humane Society) LONG before we adopted them, but I understand early neutering makes males very affectionate.  I am here to say that both my boys are EXTREMELY affectionate.  Much more than my girl, who wasn't spayed until 1 1/2 years of age.

1.) Is it OK to have a fan in the room with him? (just a box fan)  Personally I wouldn't as mentioned above he could try to play with the blades which could injure him.

2.) What food should I start him out with?  How much will it be? He is only 2 1/2 to 3 months old!   Canned food is best, it depends on what your budget can handle, even the cheapest wet food is better than the most expensive dry food.   I feed Friskies/Fancy Feast when my budget is low Fancy Feast here are about 58cents a can.  I do like to try to feed Grain free but those are usually close to 1.50 or $2.00 per can and feeding 5 kitties it gets expensive.

3.) Is there a better litter that I should start him on? Is there a good cheap litter out there?  I use either Litter Clean which we get at Sam's Cub or Arm & Hammer Multi Cat which runs around $12-$14 per box

4.) Is OK to keep him in a 5 ft by 3 ft area for a week?  Yes that should be fine as long as he has enrichment etc.

5.) What will it cost to neuter, chip, and get him on all his shots? (Reminder om how old he is on question 2)  Vaccines vary depending on the vet you go too.  Same with the neuter, where I work the neutering runs about $120.00 but that includes presurgical bloodwork, a catheter, the neuter, a microchip and complimentary nail trim

6.) Is there any dangerous toys out there for him?  Yes you want to avoid string

7.) What is catnip and what is it used for?  Catnip is just a fun thing for most cats, most cats like to roll around in it and have fun

8.) Am I being a good cat mom?  It sounds like you are working to be a good cat mom.

Thank you all these helped me a lot!!!! I know more than ever what to do when he comes and i hope that making these new arrangements will help!