Kitten Questions......

okay, I'm getting (maybe) a 6-7 week old kitten this weekend, and I have a few questions because I've never owned a kitten before (I got both my kitties when they were at lesat 2 years)

so, when should they start eating solid food? I know the owner gives it cows milk now.

when should I get it fixed? declawed? all its shots?


one of my older cats is a male, and so is the kitten and I know males get territorially...is there anything I should be warned about/could do just in case they try to kill each other when they get older/now? (my other cat is a female, so that might make it worse...)


I think thoes are all the questions I have right now.....

Fixed before 4 month others prefer 6... I would not declaw at all. Shots starting at 6 weeks...

Introduce them slowly and let your older cat know he is top cat still

Kittens need to stay with their mother until 10-12 weeks old. Cows milk is bad for cats, it gives them diarrhea so please don't feed her that.

You can get her fixed from around 8 weeks, shots are at 6,9 & 12. do NOT declaw, it's inhumane.

As long as you keep the new kitty in a bedroom (or whatever room you have) away from the other cats and slowly introduce them it should be fine.

Originally Posted by Catz_Rule

okay, I'm getting (maybe) a 6-7 week old kitten this weekend, and I have a few questions because I've never owned a kitten before (I got both my kitties when they were at lesat 2 years)

so, when should they start eating solid food? I know the owner gives it cows milk now.

when should I get it fixed? declawed? all its shots?

one of my older cats is a male, and so is the kitten and I know males get territorially...is there anything I should be warned about/could do just in case they try to kill each other when they get older/now? (my other cat is a female, so that might make it worse...)


I think thoes are all the questions I have right now.....

Click to expand...

First...if possible...I would hold off on getting your little kitten until it is 10-12 weeks of age. It will be much better for the little one to stay with mom until it reaches this age.

First set of shots should be at 6 weeks of age. Neuter/Spay should be done as early as possible.

Why would you subject this little one to being declawed?? At such a young age, you can start trimming it's nails and training your little one to scratch appropriately by buying various scratching options. Declawing is an elective procedure which CAN lead to issues of litterbox avoidance, biting and arthritis. If you are concerned about your furniture, you can buy nail caps that fit over your little ones nails.

Katie

ok, thanks everyone! yeah, I kinda thought that the owner wanted to get rid of them a little to early....I'll tell her that. so is goat milk ok for it to drink? both my other cats are declawed in both front paws. one of my cats (Kate, she's 15 now) did great and didn't have any of those problems, same with my other cat, but at the vet he REALLY didn't like being in a cage,but he had to stay there overnight after the surgery, but he kept scratching at the cage and would rip the stitches (or whatever)out and it would bleed, and so he had to stay for about a week inside a huge dog cage

so is declawing bad for ALL cats, or just some? I kinda wanna declaw this one, but if I'm really not supposed to then I won't

Goat's milk is fine. Just warm it gently before serving.

As a site primarily concerned with cat welfare, TCS strongly discourages declawing. Unless there is a valid medical reason for you to declaw this kitten, I wouldn't recommend it.

Being that your other cats are already declawed, you will have to watch interaction carefully and monitor this baby's behavior closely. That is yet another good reason to allow baby to stay with Mom for a few more weeks, but is the mother well-socialized and friendly with humans? If so, then let this baby stay with her for a few more weeks. If Momma is anything other than friendly, take baby now to being socializing her.

in my opinion i wouldn't declaw b/c just because your other cats didnt have problems doesnt mean this one won't. my friends' cat got declawed when he was little (i told her not to ) and now he refuses to use the litter box and he poops where ever he wants and makes her house stink. just an FYI. good luck!

Please read through this story:

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawvettch.html

Cats are born with claws, they are meant to have claws, not to have peole rip them out for their convenience. It is so easy to train a cat to scratch on cardboard scratchers, cat trees, and you can even use Soft Paws.

Please please please do not put your poor cat through that extreme amount of pain because it is easier for you. At LEAST give her a chance.

Originally Posted by Catz_Rule

ok, thanks everyone!

yeah, I kinda thought that the owner wanted to get rid of them a little to early....I'll tell her that. so is goat milk ok for it to drink?

both my other cats are declawed in both front paws. one of my cats (Kate, she's 15 now) did great and didn't have any of those problems, same with my other cat, but at the vet he REALLY didn't like being in a cage,but he had to stay there overnight after the surgery, but he kept scratching at the cage and would rip the stitches (or whatever)out and it would bleed, and so he had to stay for about a week inside a huge dog cage

so is declawing bad for ALL cats, or just some? I kinda wanna declaw this one, but if I'm really not supposed to then I won't

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Why don't you try to go with nail caps and trimming it's nails and providing scratching posts first. Many countries have banned the procedure as being cruel and many people who work with cats view it as unnecessary since cats are born with claws for a reason. I would recommend you do an internet search on the word "declawing" and see what some people have to say about the procedure.

Katie

Originally Posted by Jen

Please read through this story:

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawvettch.html

Cats are born with claws, they are meant to have claws, not to have peole rip them out for their convenience. It is so easy to train a cat to scratch on cardboard scratchers, cat trees, and you can even use Soft Paws.

Please please please do not put your poor cat through that extreme amount of pain because it is easier for you. At LEAST give her a chance.

Click to expand...

Wow! Thanks for sharing that link about the declawing procedure! I opted to NOT declaw my cats and am now SO SO glad I didn't put them through that horrible ordeal. All of my family members have declawed their cats and they thought I was crazy when I decided not to. Now I want to send them this link......... that might be really rude though???

WOW on that article! I never had my cats declawed as I never really saw a reason, although they do scratch up some of my furniture and HATE the scratching posts I have tried. LOL But ah well I deal. But PHEW glad I never had it done after reading that!

My sister had one of her cats done and it used to bite NON stop and was NOT a nice cat at all! now it makes sense. And her cat also got out a few times so she finally started letting it be an indoor/outdoor cat with NO front claws!!!!!!!! YIKES! that I could not do!

thanks for that link!!! i don't think I'll declaw this one!!! now I feel bad for letting my one cat (i only got one of my cats declawed, the other had allready been declawed when i got it) get declawed!! thank you SO MUCH for that link!!!

but what exactly are nail caps? where can I get them? and when should this kitten start eating solid food? and whats the best cat food to start with?

You may not even need the nail caps. This kitten is so young, that training him to a scratching post should be a snap...in which case, you may never have destructive scratching behavior. Trimming his nails (very carefully at this age...I usually wait until 9 or 10 weeks to start) should be easy too, since he's a kitten. Be gentle, and move quickly. He'll grow to be a cat that won't mind this too much. If you do want to try the Soft Paws nail caps, I know that Petco carried them...get them in the tiniest size for young kittens...they come in funky colors!!!

Cows milk is a big no-no...most cats and kittens are lactose intolerant. Begin introducing solid foods by mixing KMR (Kitten Replacement Milk...you can get cans at Wal-Mart) with a good wet kitten food. Warm it up just a touch...usually microwaving it for about 8 seconds, and this is sufficient. I use Nutro Natural Choice Kitten Formula for 10 week-old Steuben. A 6-7 week old kitten will need to be offered about 5 small meals a day. When Steub was this little, I fed him at 7 and 11 in the morning, and 2:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon. He's also get a meal at around 10:30, before I went off to bed. By 8 weeks, I "weaned" him off the KMR, and just offered wet. By 9 weeks, I began mixing about a tablespoon of dry kitten kibble with his wet food, and that went well too. Now, at almost 11 weeks, he gets a can of wet food a day...1/2 in the a.m., and 1/2 in the p.m., and I offer a bowl of dry food to tide him over in between those meals. It's going great!

At 6-7 weeks, he should really not have too much problem using the litter box...just watch him to make sure he's doing so independently, and not struggling. Check his stools to see that they're well-formed and firm.

As far as other pets are concerned, the kitten should really have his own space for quite a while. Don't even think of letting kitten NEAR big cat until he's been given a clean bill of health from the vet. Once you know he's healthy and is not carrying any infectious diseases or parasites, you may begin the introduction process to you adult cat. First of all, never let your adult think you're favoring the kitten. If anything, the adult should have much much more attention bestowed upon him than the kitten...remember, you are officially the adult cat's property!!! Don't give him the idea that some little rug-rat can come in and steal the limelight!!!! I would bring the kitten out in the room where the adult is at the moment, and hold kitten on your lap. Big kitty may or may not want to investigate. If he does, let him sniff, hiss, growl, lick, etc., with kitten on your lap. No combat should happen...he big kitty swats or tries to nip, remove kitten, and put him back in his safe room immediately. Then go back to adult kitty, and shower with affection. Continue the lap routine for a few days, gradually increasing the amount of time, if possible. Next, kitten may be ready for a very short floor session with big kitty. This is where things could quickly get ugly, and if any combat ensues, remove kitten immediately. Gradually increase time, if possible. Also, know the difference between play aggression, and UGLY. Adults will hiss, growl, pounce, chase, and appear to bat the kitten around, and may look like he's swatting and nipping rather roughly. This may be play, and it may be ugly...you'll quickly be able to tell the difference.

Good luck!