DH surprised me last night....

[New England Eeyore]

By bringing home a kitten!! He's been wanting a pet for a long time, but I'm just not an animal person. I've never had a pet, never been really comfortable around animals. I was pretty upset at first that he'd do it without telling me, but I do have to admit, the kitty is pretty darn adorable.

We're taking the cat to the vet tomorrow to get him/her checked out (and find out if it's a he or a she!). The person my DH got the cat from said he/she was about 6 weeks old. I'm just to new at all this that I don't know the first place to start. We have a litter box and food, what are some of the other supplies we should get first? What kinds of questions should I ask the vet? I'm going to the bookstore later to see if they make a "Complete Idiots Guide to Cats" or something like that. Cause that's what I am in this case - a complete idiot.

Any advice? As they come up, can I bother you cat owners with my million and one questions?

 

[patchchild]

Congrats on the new furry friend. My two cats make me so happy, even though I had never thought of myself as an animal person. They really find a way of getting into your heart.

Lots of time with the two of you is really all he/she needs right now. My two love any toy balls they can get their paws on, but hate noisy tows. Go figure. Almost any kitten loves playing with fishing toys, a stick with a string on the end. Just make sure that any string toys get put out of reach when you're not there to play. They're dangerous when not supervised.

Have fun!

 

[Twigs]

Have fun with your new Kitten! They are sooo cute when they are babies. For my 30th B-day DH got me a kitten. It is the opposite of your situation, I have always loved cats and DH was not an animal lover. So it was really something that he went out, got the cat, and surprised me with it. I had got home from work and he told me this kitten ran into the condo and up inside of the recliner, he couldn't get it out. He was amazed when I just reached up and pulled him out. Anyway he ended up falling in love with the cat.

One thing I would recommend getting early is a scratching post. Some cats don't take to them, but the three kittens that I have had (at different times) used them all the time and were very good about using them. We had always got the posts the same time we got the kitten. You might have to experiment with which type the cat likes best. I had always gotten the carpeted ones and replaced them when the carpet gets "raked" out. This last cat I have hates the carpeted ones, but loves the sisal rope ones. I have also kept a water bottle nearby to distract the kitten from doing things you don't want it to do. One of my cats favorite toys are the soft foam balls they sell with other cat toys, they can carry them around with their teeth and because they are so soft if you accidently step on one, it just squishes and doesn't trip you up.

 

[kaylajr]

Have fun with your new furry friend

 

[New England Eeyore]

Thanks for the tips! We started with some little mouse toys and he absolutely adores them. He goes nuts chasing them around the room.

That's right, it's a boy! The vet give him a clean bill of health and said he was very good-tempered (didn't even flinch at the shot!) and of course, adorable.

Now that I speak a little more cat lingo I can tell you that he's an orange, double-pawed, mackerel tabby, about 10-12 weeks old. Now to think of a name...

It didn't take me very long to fall completely in love with this little guy.

 

[lewdyan1]

Yeah for new babies! I am not a huge cat person, love dogs alot, but a baby is a baby and you've got to love the way they snuggle!

 

[bigsis1970]

Oh how wonderful a new kitty -- My Cat is soo personable and absolutely is a person lover !! oh and he is a mouthy one -- talks and purrs all the time!!

Did you give him a name yet??

 

[New England Eeyore]

We named him Lucky. My DH and I actually each came up with the name on our own and couldn't believe it that the other had also. I was thinking Lucky because of the extra paw and he thought it was lucky that he found us and we found him.

 

[bigsis1970]

Aww -- Cute -- I guess you and your hubby are soulmates for sure if you both thought of the same name !