A Whole New Experience

triceartist945

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Hi, a week ago, we found a small kitten at our door. She was meowing and seemed hungry. Before we had a chance to pick her up, the dogs (3 small chi mixes) chased her off and she ran to the neighbors yard (we share the yard). My husband and son ran and found her and brought her back to the house. Long story short, she is now a member of the family. We think her mother kicked her out. We estimate she is probably about 4 weeks old. 

I have always had dogs, I have never had a cat. This is a new experience for us. I have 3 main concerns: 

1. What do you feed a kitten and how do you get her to eat the kitten food (dry)? 

2. How do you discipline a cat? I have discovered that it is NOT the same way you discipline a dog. 

3. The dogs are very interested in this new little creature. They want to play but they just scare her. She does seem to be getting used to their attention but they get very close to her and sometimes even lunge at her and chase her. They are gentle with her and want to play but don't seem to know what to do.

Thank you for providing this site so we can make some informed decisions. We are animal lovers and only want the best for her.
 

Columbine

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Hi, and welcome to TCS :wavey:

If she really is 4 weeks old, she's probably not ready for kitten food..at that age they still need mom's milk or a KMR formula to substitute (though full fat goat's milk, raw if possible, is another good option).

When she's ready for food, look for low carb, grain free kitten food. Cats are obligate carnivores, and have evolved to get around 80 % of their fluid intake from their food. For this reason it's a good idea to feed at least a partially wet diet. If you really want or need to feed a dry diet it's important to take extra measures to boost fluid intake - a cat's thirst drive just isn't strong enough to compensate for an all dry diet.

For more specific answers to your questions, post in the relevant forums - I'd suggest http://www.thecatsite.com/f/36/pregnant-cats-and-kitten-care

http://www.thecatsite.com/f/64/cat-nutrition

http://www.thecatsite.com/f/5/behavior

Also, here are some articles to get you started http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-essentials-of-kitten-nutrition
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cats-and-discipline-dont-mix
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-dogs
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/caring-for-cats-and-dogs
 

ellag

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dry cat food is not good for cats. it leads to obesity, diabetes, kidney disease etc... even the cheapest wet food is better than dry! at 4 weeks old a kitten would have a hard time eating dry. i would get some KMR and mix it in with some wet food and start with that. she will make a mess at first but after 2-3 weeks you can make it less soupy. as far as discipline, cats are nothing like dogs really. you can try positive reinforcement but cats basically do what they want to do...and they are very smart!

bless you for rescuing this baby!
 

bfguru

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I never knew that about dry food. I guess that's why my babies were always fatties. But my first would vomit every soft food so our vet suggested dry and that's what I've used with all my cats since. In fact she vomited everything but the cheapest food, which I found weird. She wouldn't touch fresh boiled chicken or even eggs if made them.

She was picky, but in a way that saved my wallet. LOL
 
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