Yikes, Almost Out Of Time! Adopting 2 Kittens.

[moneekw]

We are bringing our new Siamese babies (bonded siblings) home in just 2 days and I'm in a bit of a panic. We thought we would have more time but we got a call about kitties in need of a home so....here we are! So, I need some advice, please.

My head is spinning with all the research I've been doing and I'm still so unsure! I would appreciate recommendations for affordable wet food and a good quality dry food. I will likely feed wet in the morning and at night but leave a little dry down during the day while we are at work.
Considering nutrition, calories, protein etc. and price per ounce, what is actually the best wet food? I read about some feeding Fancy Feast as a good budget alternative but after some quick math it doesn't seem all that cheap comparatively.

We want to feed them the healthiest that we can afford but we we really do need to keep costs down. How much and how often do kittens need to eat and what is the best way to switch them over to the brands we ultimately choose to give them? Time is a tickin' and I'm seriously feeling stressed about this. I would also love to hear others' thoughts on occasionally giving raw "treats" such as chicken wings.

Any recs for decent scent-free clumping litter? We plan on making large litter boxes with clear totes and wonder if we should start them right off with those or first use the small litter boxes.

While I'm here, I might as well beg for any and all advice, tips, hints or suggestions that anyone has regarding the raising of two kitties!

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it.

 

[Margret]

I get Luvsome clumping litter. It's the Kroger store brand, available in either scented or unscented, clumps as well as any, and cheap. Add baking soda to it to control odor. Kroger is a grocery store chain - the stores have different names in different parts of the country, and I'm assuming that you're in the U.S., but I don't know. Basically, look for any store brand unscented clumping litter.

I wouldn't advise starting with a litter box that's too large for them to get into easily. If you're going to start with a high-sided box be sure to provide some kind of ramp or stairs. When choosing a tote box to convert, remember that the floor of the box needs to be smooth, all the way to the walls. If it has a "ditch" near the edges (and most of them do, so that the box isn't sitting flush to the floor) urine will tend to collect and clump in the ditch, at which point it becomes very difficult to scoop.

You'll need to start them on kitten food, then transition to adult as they grow, and I'm sorry, but it's been too long since I had kittens to care for; I can't provide any recommendations.

Congratulations on the new family members! We'd love to see pictures!

Margret

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Glad you're here!
Kittens literally need to eat as much as they are willing to eat up to about a year old . It is ok to leave canned food out for several hours.
Im not looking so much at cost. Instinct by nature's variety kitten wet food is decent in that it has less bad additives than some others. Also Chicken Soup kitten food has carrageenan which some people will not feed but otherwise the ingredient list is ok.
I don't have experience with chicken wings but I do feed a couple nuggets of store bought raw to my adult cat.
All life stages type of kibble would broaden your list of brands, but in any case Castor and Pollux Organix grain free kitten could be a good choice.
Toys, treats, scratchers, cat trees....bring your meezer babies home, the food and the litter are the first things of course. Then deep breath, and the extensive library of articles on this site along with the members will get you on your way.
Meezer babies ROCK!!!

 

[Wenda]

Congrats and good luck!! What I found helpful after getting my kitten Ares was also investing in some double sided sticky tape (to save my couch from those busy and sharp little claws) and clipping his claws while he was napping. This made it much more pleasant for when he'd jump onto my lap (no more cat scratches!! Hooray!) I also have found that he loooooves to play in paper grocery bags so if your store offers both paper and plastic, maybe snag a couple of paper ones to keep them entertained cheaply. That and I've heard people mention aluminum foil balls, and I know Ares loves playing with Q-tips.

I don't have any food or litter recommendations, sorry. I've been using corn litter (which I like because it's not dusty like the clay I've used, but I'm still searching for the perfect litter too lol.)

I just wanted to say good luck again! You'll be fine, don't stress

 

[kashmir64]

How old are the kittens? For food, I free fed mine dry- Purina One Kitten and 3 cans of wet (split between two kittens) - Fancy Feast Kitten, until they were about 5 months. I then switched to 2 cans per day of either the Fancy Feast grilled or the gravy lovers (still free fed kitten kibble). Now that they are 11 months, they get 3 cups of Purina True Instinct and 1 can of FF Creamy Delights.

If they are under 12 weeks old, then you want to use a non-clumping litter.

 

[rubysmama]

The site has a complete section with Cat Food & Feeding | TheCatSite articles. Maybe more info than you need, but might have some helpful tips.

Here's a couple to get you started:
How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat
Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat - Part 2

 

[orange&white]

Kittens develop their taste preferences before they are 6 months old, so I recommend rotating flavors and meat proteins quite a lot. You're much less likely to end up with finicky, fussy cats, as they won't get their taste buds set on one food. You can mix inexpensive and expensive brands to suit your budget. I just raised a kitten on an all-raw diet last year, so I for one, am a proponent of offering your kittens some fresh raw meats and small bones as treats.

The store brand unscented clumping clay litter is what I have used for years. Keep it deep enough so the little pee balls don't have a chance to sink to the bottom of the box and stick. You want to scoop at least once a day, preferably twice with kittens, and you won't have any odor issues. You didn't mention the age of the kittens, so I would agree with Margret about steps or a shorter-sided box if they are very young so they can easily enter and exit. If they're older than 8 weeks, they should be ok with using the larger box you plan for them when they're grown up.

Congrats on getting your fur babies! It's exciting and kittens are so much (work), er, fun! They're both, but worth every second! They will provide you with hours of entertainment and love.

BTW...we will be expecting lots of photos, so a camera is also a requirement.

 

[Furballsmom]

BTW...we will be expecting lots of photos, so a camera is also a requirement

Yes, exactly

 

[moneekw]

Thank you all for your replies, advice and tips! I really appreciate it!

Our little girl kitty developed a cold so the shelter is postponing spaying. We have to wait two more weeks to get them.. On the bright side- we have more time to prepare. Our Meezers will be 12 weeks old at that point.
** I have never heard of Siamese being called Meezers - I LOVE it!

We plan on trying several different brands/varieties of wet food. Trying to provide healthful and appropriate nutrition without going broke is our goal!

The following are the brands we're going to try to put in rotation:
Dave's grain free and 95%; Hounds and Gatos; Natural Balance; Nulo; Nutro Natural Choice; Wellness Core; Whole Earth Farms; Natures Variety; Natures Logic; Merrick LID; Weruva; Ziwi Peak, Tiki Cat.
We have decided not to give any dry food.

I found some of the above in single cans at Petco. I'm not thrilled about purchasing whole cases only to have the kids continually reject it. Might be the only option with some brands though.
For the evening protein snack after playtime, we are considering Stage 2 all meat human baby food. I'm unsure what to give for occasional treats. Maybe chicken livers, gizzards and chicken wings. I still need to do a lot of research on raw feeding. Furballsmom, can you offer advice on raw "treats"?

We are going to give Arm and Hammer unscented clumping litter a try. I think I'm going to order Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Classic litter, too. We'll use both a small litter box and the big homemade tote litter box and add at least one more big one soon. The tote I chose does have a little bit of a "ditch" but I'm hoping that keeping the litter between 3.5 to 4 inches deep will stop any pee pee from getting down there without the kitties feeling like they are in quicksand. Fingers crossed until I find something with a completely flat bottom. I bought a big doormat to place under the big one (the labels read "cleans shoes and traps water"). I have high hopes that those kitties will wipe every speck of litter off on it after exiting their bathroom! Ha! I'm on the lookout for a different mat to try, too.

I got Revlon human nail clippers and will attempt to clip their nails while they're sleeping. I ordered the double stick tape for our furniture and bought one tall scratching post so far. I also bought a hanging scratcher thing. We're going to make a few more along with a cat tower. Seems like a fun project that will save some money. I"m feeling especially crafty today and I'm about to start construction of a cardboard kitty condo!

I had to use a lot of restraint while shopping for toys! I want to get them EVERYTHING! I did select a variety of toys that looked fun, including 2 laser pointers; bubbles, crinkly balls, catnip stuffed critters, feathered toys, da bird and much more! I grabbed a few paper bags, too.

We're going to keep the babies confined to our (big) kitchen for a while and gradually open up the rest of the house to them. It's going to be so hard not to bring them upstairs into bed with us right away! But...we want to try to avoid problems like not getting to the litter box in time. We will have a litter box on the second floor very soon, though. I would especially love to hear tips about avoiding potty accidents.

Well, I've rambled on enough! Thanks again for listening and thanks for the help. I feel much more prepared now and am just so excited! I'll be sure to post pictures soon!

Please feel free to (continue to) make suggestions/recommendations.

Monique

 

[kashmir64]

Remember that kittens/cats need Taurine, and human baby food does not have it. As long as the majority of food has it, the baby food will be an ok treat.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi- I don't have good info regarding raw treats, but you could try Purebites brand and maybe also boil some unseasoned chicken and give them cut up pieces.
Also, Only Natural Pet and the Big Bad Woof sell small quantities of cat food.
If they don't like Gerber, try beechnut or Earth's best. My big fella decided he didn't like beechnut after a while.
I'm on my phone and I don't know how to copy items on this, but if you look on this site in their extensive library of Articles, there are a number that address litter and litter box issues and info.
I'm so tickled that you're having such a ball getting ready for them!