Cat people, some questions for a new cat owner

[EsmeraldaX]

Hey all,

My friend is getting a cat tomorrow (a kitten 10 wks old) and she was wondering what she absolutely needs.

I told her she will absolutely have to have a litter box (preferably a covered one? or do non-covered ones work best??)

Dust free litter, what kind is best and safest for the cat?

A bag of whatever dry food the kitten has been eating, and if it's not a high quality food, she needs to get a bag of high quality food so she can mix them, and get him on a better diet.

A scratching post

Treats (for training)

Water & food dishes

A litter scoop

A few toys

What else??

 

[Pete's Mom]

I like the litterbox liners. It makes it a lot easier to clean out the box.

 

[tiggerwannabe]

Feeding the cat dry food exclusively contributes to kidney stones, I at least recommend varying between dry & canned.

I also recommend a covered litter box...We hide ours under a skirted laundry table.

Treats for training???lol...That's cute. You've been around dogs too long;-)

 

[geffric]

a brush and toe nail clippers..

 

[Rajah]

No she hasn't, Tigger. My cats were all trained with treats. Maybe it only worked for being gentle, coming when called (or at least answering), being reasonably still while being brushed/nails trimmed, taking medicine (and not only *taking* it without too much of a fight, but *coming* when I get the medicine out), and using only the proper scratching surfaces, but cats can be trained with positive reinforcement of treats.

Anyway, sounds like you hit all the major things, Esmeralda. As for covered or non -- for ours, non works better. My friends have 4 cats and have always used covered, but they started having issues with one cat peeing all over. Suggested they uncover a box. Sure enough, the peeing stopped. So it's really up to the cat.

 

[swanmom]

I recommend the scoopable litter. I finally switched after a lifetime of owning cats (10 in all) and I find it to be much easier and cleaner.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Thanks all. I've always heard that canned food can upset kittens stomachs? Should she start off feeding the kitten a mix?

 

[chrissyk]

Earplugs, LOL! Our 2 cats were WILD as kittens. Also, it would be best if she started the kitten on a "clean" petfood like PetGuard, LickYourChops or Wellness. Our older cat got sick from eating supermarket petfood, but thankfully we'd switched them over to eating Petguard by the time the younger one was around 1 year-old. She's as healthy as a horse because of the good diet Petguard is cheaper than supermarket petfood if you buy it in the bigger cans (get can caps and put the leftovers in the fridge). We buy ours from Whole Foods, but you can also buy it at petfooddirect.com .

One other thing...I would never, ever, ever get 1 kitten again. I'd get 2 together. The first 1 1/2 years that we had 1 kitten/cat were really tough. Once we got the 2nd kitten, the older cat became "normal". He really needed a buddy!

 

[jel0511]

Feeding the cat dry food exclusively contributes to kidney stones, I at least recommend varying between dry & canned.

That's only partially true. Actually both dry and canned cat food can cause kidney stones, and feeding a cat an exclusive dry diet will not increase kidney stones. It really depends on what food you feed your cat. If you're buying your food at the grocery store, any food there is relataively high in ash, and can cause kidney stones in cats, regardless of wet vs dry amounts. If you're buying a very high quality dry cat food, you can feed that to your cat exclusively and have no problems with kidney stones. My one cat that was fed a mixture of dry and wet food, was the one who developed kidney stones. The others who were on a exclusive dry diet of high quality cat food (Science Diet) never developed one kidney stone. Most cat breeders feed their cats an exclusive diet of high quality dry food, since it's the easiest to feed multiple cats. My cat breeder used to feed all her cats a high quality kitten food, regardless of age, since it was the lowest in ash content. Now, she uses a all-natural holistic diet, which I also now feed my cat. It is very expensice $40 for an 18 lb bag, but it's the best food for my cat.

Now, back to the OP's question. The items you mentioned are just about right, with the exception of treats. Cats aren't trained like dogs, and rewarding them for good behavior doesn't reep the same results as does a dog. A kitten that is 10 weeks old, should already know how to use a litter box and scratching post if coming from a proper home, they learn these traits from their mother. If not, your friend will have to litter train, and scratch post train. She will need to buy the cat repellent spray to discourage the cat where not to scratch. Also, if the cat isn't litter trained, she also will need to buy the urine removal spray. It's different than using a carpet cleaning solution, which you hav eto use anyway to clean up an accident. Cats like to go in corners, as well as their litterbox. If the cat isnt' trained, and all you do to clean up an accident is clean it, the cat will still smell the accident, and re-use the spot, reinforcing the behavior to go there. If you clean it up and then spray it with the urine removal spray, the smell is then erased for the cat, and they won't go there again out of habit. As for a litterbox, if your friends works and isn't home often to clean out the box (it needs to be done at least daily) have her buy a Littermaid. It is a self cleaning box, that scoops out the box everytime after the cat uses it. It is really convient, especially if you plan to travel and leave the cat at home. We usually have to change the plastic recepticle once a week, so it's very convient for busy people.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Thanks all.

TBH, I'm worried about this cat. I do not think it came from a responsible home, and the people who are adopting it, love them as much as I do, are not exactly a "stable" home either ( can't go into any more detail than that). I tried to convince them not to adopt this kitten. Then I tried to talk them out of a kitten and into an older cat. No. They want a "cute baby".

So now, all I can really do is try and give them the best info available. They will not be feeding this kitten cheap dry food. If I have to, I'll splurge the $8 to buy it Iams myself.

Can someone tell me a little about a kittens vaccination schedule?

Sorry if I seem grumpy here, I just really wish my friends would reconsider.

 

[jel0511]

I'll splurge the $8 to buy it Iams myself.

Actually Iams is a horrible food nutrition wise, as is Eukanuba, which is made by Iams, just only sold in pet shops. Science Diet is pretty good, but there have been some reports that Science Diet can cause health problems later in life. Natural Choice and Natures Best (made by Science Diet) are much better alternatives and can easily be found at any Petsmart or Petco. I haven't looked at any of the petfoods offered by Whole Foods, since there isn't one near me, but that will change, since there are opening one up down the street next month. I feed my cat a natural holistic diet, called Life's Abundance.

 

[MerryPoppins]

We like the crystal litter, but not the round ones or "pearls". (They seem to roll too much). With crystal litter, we stir and scoop daily and only change about once a month. It doesn't smell, a big plus.

We use a covered box and have never had problems. Usually keeping the box clean keeps cat's happy about their litter box. I also agree that liners make changing litter easier. We even put a couple of layers of paper towels under the liner in case the bag gets scratched to soak up leaks. A couple of squirts of a cleaner, wipe it out and it's good to go again. Oh, and DH is a fan of using the baking soda stuff for cat boxes too.

DH and I have had cats for 20 years. We feed exclusively dry food. It's what our vet suggested and our cats have never had trouble with kidney stones. In fact, our current cat Cricket is almost 4 and has never had a health issue (knock on wood).

 

[MerryPoppins]

Our latest kitty came from the pound, so I doubt it came from a responsible home. Other than being a thief (he steals all of DD's hair bands) and a burglar (seems to get into whatever he chooses and out of any cage we lock him in) he has been a very well-adjusted cat.

 

[Pete's Mom]

An appointment to get fixed as soon as kitty is old enough!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by jel0511
Actually Iams is a horrible food nutrition wise, as is Eukanuba, which is made by Iams, just only sold in pet shops. Science Diet is pretty good, but there have been some reports that Science Diet can cause health problems later in life. Natural Choice and Natures Best (made by Science Diet) are much better alternatives and can easily be found at any Petsmart or Petco. I haven't looked at any of the petfoods offered by Whole Foods, since there isn't one near me, but that will change, since there are opening one up down the street next month. I feed my cat a natural holistic diet, called Life's Abundance.

Thanks. I know my vet recommended Iams (or it might have been Eukanuba) for my dog when he was little (he hates it so that's not what we feed him). I always thought it was good though.

I should also point out, that one of my concerns about the people adopting the cat is that they do not drive and the closest Pet supply store to them is a 20 minute T ride then a 20 minute walk from their house.

Thanks all of you for your help. I'm seriously worried about this cat. I wish I could explain more on the board here but I can't.

 

[Rajah]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX
I should also point out, that one of my concerns about the people adopting the cat is that they do not drive and the closest Pet supply store to them is a 20 minute T ride then a 20 minute walk from their house.

If they're willing to order online, either Petsmart or Petco, I forget which, will deliver food and you can even have it set up to have food delivered every month.

I use the new Science Diet Nature's whatever (Best?). Kitties love it, and I like the ingredient list.

I also use the Nutro Max moist food. They have both kitten and adult varieties available and have good ingredients.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by Rajah
If they're willing to order online, either Petsmart or Petco, I forget which, will deliver food and you can even have it set up to have food delivered every month.

I use the new Science Diet Nature's whatever (Best?). Kitties love it, and I like the ingredient list.

I also use the Nutro Max moist food. They have both kitten and adult varieties available and have good ingredients.

Thank you. That is very good to know.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

jel0--just curious..why is IAMS so bad? We've fed Rumple IAMS ever since she was a kitten (she's 5 1/2 now) and never had any problems. We tried Science Diet and she refused to eat it. We've never fed her grocerystore food, either. Always just IAMS dry..usually the blue/green bag of the Adult Weight Maintenance to make sure she doesn't get too fat.


TOV

 

[EsmeraldaX]

GRRR -

I just called my vet to make an appointment for Monty (for his annual shots - don't worry he's not sick) and so I asked what my vet charges for an initial kitten visit and she told me $106 for check up, shots etc. (that seems pretty reasonable to me, for this area of the country).

I told my friend and she said (and I quote) "WOW". She thought taking the kitten to the vet would be really cheap.

I feel bad but I was honest with her and said , I'm sorry but if that is too much for you than maybe you should not get a cat right now. (I put it more delicately than that)

Now she's mad at me.

 

[mickeyboat]

When out little ones were little, we put a collar on them with a bell on it. We were able to find them easily when they were hiding.

However, they tended to get all caught up in the collar from time to time so we took them off.

Denae