Getting my first kitten tomorrow!

[wolfie305]

And I have no idea where to start! She's 8 weeks old and still need to go to the vet (I believe). I'll be taking her to get her dewormed and all the shots she'll need.

I am most concerned about what to feed her. I am very knowledgeable on dog food, but not so much with cats. My roommate and I just moved into a new house and we both make decent money (for 24 year olds), but we're still looking for affordable food. After reading the nutrition section, I noticed you guys mostly recommend wet food? What brands are good? Where can I find them? How often should my kitten be fed and for how long?

Also, what kind of litter do you guys rec commend? We live in a somewhat small house so I would love something that TRULY eliminates odors

Any other information/stuff we should get would be super helpful!

Thanks!

Kelsey

 

[greenmamabear]

Hi! We just got a new kitten on Wednesday! We are using Tidy Cats Small Spaces, it really has been working out well for us. I would love to hear wet food rec, we are still working that part out!

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, wet food as base is what is best. dry mostly so they know what it is, if they happen to say, be at a boarding cat home while you are taking holiday... Or so.

The beauty of wet is, it is much easier to make a decent wet then a decent dry.

So almost any wet will be OK...  Even the cheap one will be better than the cheap drys....

Kittens shall eat quite often, as much as they want. They are growing, they move a lot, they discover a llot...  It is almost impossible for them too eat too much.

Otherwise, if you want to test sometimes, goat milk and all goat milk products are ok.  Plain unsweetened youghurt is ok.  You can melt in some butter in this youghurt if you want it to be more fatty.

Plain unsweetened youghurt with bifidus-bactaria works nicely as a basic probiotic, so good if the cat is used to it.

Cheese may be used as treat, and also as extra source of calcium.

Make sure the wet isnt no low fat variation (happens!), and dont have grains - some procent is OK and some think is good, but not more than some few procent.

Dry shall have a high containment of animal proteins and fat, no low fat variations for kittens no.

If you cant get kitten variation, get at least "for active cats".

I dont know much about american sorts of wet and dry, so I pass this question about brands to others...

Good luck!

ps.  Kitten food shall have high content of proteins and fats.  It is also typically enrichened with extra taurine.

Taurine is otherwise a natural amino acid in meat.

Now, my belief why kitten dry food is typically enrichened with taurine, is because dry food hasnt so much meat in it...  A essential part of the protein contents are non animal, grain perhaps, thus - without animal proteines.

Wet has a natural high content of both animal proteins and fats, so additional taurine arent necessary...

Edited som typos, and did a little polishing.

 

[wolfie305]

I went to the store and got Fancy Feast Classic wet food because I wasn't able to find any labeled "growth" or "kitten." I might stop at PetSmart after getting her tomorrow to see what they have. I would really like her to be on Taste of the Wild because that is what my family's dog is on and its amazing.

Is the Fancy Feast grain free? Should I not give this to her at all?

Thanks for your help!

 

[franksmom]

Fancy feast classic is a good less expensive food. Some higher end foods are tiki cat and hound and gato, which are really good foods and I feed to my kitten. I also really recommend raw meat either a commercial brand, homemade like the recipe on catinfo.org or just as a snack. Also take a look at catinfo.org which is written by a vet and has a lot of great information on cat nutrition. 

 

[wolfie305]

So that should be okay for kittens?

Also, I just remembered she will need flea/tick medication!! What works for kittens? What kind should I get?

 

 

[wolfie305]

Note - She will be strictly an indoor cat, but I assume some sort of preventative should be used anyway?

 

[franksmom]

If the cat doesn't have fleas when you get him no need to do a flea treatment yet and because he will be indoors you don't usually have to worry about it.

 

[pushylady]

I wouldn't give a flea treatment just for the sake of it. Assuming your dog is OK and the kitten doesn't have fleas already, then she should be fine. Your vet can assess that for you when you take her in. Please don't buy the cheap over-the-counter flea meds! Especially bad for such a young cat.

As for food, I second the Hound and Gatos brand (not cheap though). The Fancy Feast Classic is a good base wet food if you're looking to save $. I like to mix brands so my cats don't get too fussy, and because of all the recalls I don't want to be relying on just one brand. PetSmart should have a few options for you.

Congrats on the new addition!

 

[catspaw66]

Here is an article to read from the on-site articles section. www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-nutrition-a-recap  The articles section is a wonderful resource. I like to call it a "cat owner's manual"  It has articles on just about any questions or problems you may have. It is a place to start, but please keep asking questions for personal responses from members.

 

[wolfie305]

So we just brought her home and she seems to be adjusting well! She's curled up asleep slightly under the futon right now after a long play session with her new toys!

I asked her original owner what she had been feeding her and she said "Nine Lives." I heard, like dogs, that I should gradually switch her over to my food of choice? Should I pick up some Nine Lives and mix it with the Fancy Feast? And what do you guys think about Taste of the Wild? That's the food I really want to get her on once I can find it.
 

Her owner said she had just been fed before we took her, so when do you think I should feed her next? I'm so nervous about feeding hahaha.

She used her litter box perfectly already though

And good to know about the flea/tick stuff. I won't put her on it if she stays indoors (my roommate wants to let her outside when she gets older though...I'm not a fan of this).

 

[sivyaleah]

Great photos! She's adorable!

 

[catspaw66]

Yes, gradually mix more of the Fancy Feast in with the 9Lives, until she is eating all Fancy Feast. When you find Taste of the Wild, do the same thing. Just make sure she is on the FF for several weeks before changing to TOTW. Changing foods too frequently will cause tummy upset and diarrhea.

Tell your roommate that if they want the cat outside, they must sign a paper taking all responsibility for all vet bills and parasite treatments. 

Feed her every few hours, kittens need a lot of food to grow properly.

 

[greenmamabear]

Omg... Too cute!

 

[happybird]

Oh my gosh! She is so freakin' cute Those whiskers are too much!
Please don't let your room mate let her outside- stand your ground! Outdoor cats often lead violent lives and come home with cuts and scratches that easily turn into abscesses. They are very painful and also costly to get treated. Plus the dangers of cars, dogs, mean people, fleas....indoors is the way to go, hands down.
Have you gotten a laser toy yet? Guaranteed hours of fun and ridiculousness And the feather thingy on a stick is a must have for every kitty, too.

 

[wolfie305]

Yeah, I'm definitely going to try and get him to keep her inside. I worked at an animal hospital for 5 years and went to school to be a vet tech for 2 years and I only saw bad things come out of outdoor cats. I feel like outdoor cats are way less social with people and I want her to be affectionate

Also, I'm sure this is totally normal, but she tends to hide under our couch so far. I was able to get her to nap with me and she does come up to me, but if she wants to go under there and I try to keep her from doing it with petting/scratching/playing, but she eventually runs right back under. We do have a friend over currently and she was pretty nervous with him. I just want to make sure I socialize her enough so she grows up to affectionate and not mean like a lot of cats I've handled/worked with. Is the hiding totally normal? Should I let her hide or try to get her to come out?

 

[catspaw66]

Even though you sound like a good 'owner' your little baby has had her world completely changed. She will hide for a while, just let her get used to you at her own pace. A kitten is so curious, I feel that it will not be long before she is wanting to be into everything. Have you kitten-proofed the house yet? She will put anything she can in her mouth, just like a human baby.  I know you have worked for a vet and took the vet tech classes, but having a new kitten is a unique experience.

Keep the questions coming, we love to help cat people.

 

[StefanZ]

Is the hiding totally normal? Should I let her hide or try to get her to come out?

Once she had hidden, you shall NOT draw her out, if not directly necessary. This scares her even more...  Yes, hiding is normal if scared, or they think they may be scared, or wanting be alone.

The trick is to get them a legal hiding place.  Say, a cat igloo, where you normally dont disturb her nor touch her when she is there.  its her safety place and you respect it.

But you CAN do it if there is emergency, like you realize she is sick or wounded, and hides.

This done, you block off the under the bed hidey places.  

Good luck!

 

[maewkaew]

She is super CUTE!   It's pretty normal for a kitten to hide when they first go to a new home.   It is usually best to at first keep a new kitten or cat in one room,   and let her get used to one little part of her new territory first.      

 At this point I would not be pulling her out if she hides,  but  you might entice her out by moving a wand toy around!    Then she feels more in control and confident that she decided to come out ,  and  gets the reward of some fun play. 

  You can also reward her with a small treat if she comes to you .  For example there are freeze dried chicken treats .  let her get to thinking that people are just the best, most fun thing in the world. 

Fancy Feast Classic is a decent mid-grade food for a kitten.   In Fancy Feast,  the Classic ones are the ones with the best balance of protein/ fat/ carbs.  some of the other kinds are higher in carbs than a cat should really have ( though most dry food is much higher carb)  

   Since you're trying to balance out price and quality,  one comment I would make is that the FF is in such little cans that really some of the higher quality foods like Wellness or Merrick Before Grain are not much more, and on sale may be around the same price.      I think I've seen both of those kinds at Petco. 

 and if you're looking for economical,  Petsmart 's  Authority brand canned food would be a good choice,  cheaper than FF and just as good or better.  it comes in 6 ounce cans for usually about 90 cents a can. 

For a kitten I would start with chicken and turkey. ( or rabbit,  but that is usually  more expensive and there are not as many brands with it.) 

  and catspaw had good advice about making food changes gradually.  

Have fun with your new kitty! 

 

[wolfie305]

Thank you all so much! I have never forced her out of hiding, just used toys to help her come out. I will let her hide or continue to entice her with toys from now on until she gets used to the place

Also, HUGE PROBLEM. I just saw a flea on her white chest. It's the only one I have found so far after giving her a huge look-over. What can I do, immediately, to treat her? I know flea collars and flea dips/baths are terribly toxic to even adult cats, so I would never try on a kitten. I've heard good things about Dawn dish soap though? I am TERRIFIED of fleas and was really hoping she wouldn't have this problem Especially since she still needs to get her shots and fleas can transmit disgusting things. There's VERY minimal flea dirt on her and like I said, I only saw the one flea so far, so I'm hoping it's just minor.

What should I do about the house though?