Cat Experts Share Insights: A Guide for New Kitten Parents on Nurturing their Tiny Feline Companion

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kalila courban
Jan 11, 2024 10:00 AM EST

Hey, friends! We all know that adopting a smol feline friend is no simple task. We, as their loving providers, want to do everything that we can to ensure that we are optimally caring for them. It ain't always easy, but thank goodness we have the endless abyss of information that is the internet at our disposal! That's probably what the original poster of the thread we are featuring today thought to themself before turning to the feline corner of the world wide web for some very helpful guidance and insights on kitten care. 

Cat lovers from every corner of the internet materialized to give the original poster some very solid and practical advice when it comes to raising a kitten/ The OP was incredibly thankful for all of the guidance, and rightfully so. Cat people help each other out, and we as proud cat people love to be a part of the wholesome side of things. Check it out!  

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  • 01
    Posted by u/NoninflammatoryFun 11 hours ago Pretend I'm stupid: I've never had a kitten. I do now. What do I need to know?
    via u/NoninflammatoryFun
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 9862519552
    via u/NoninflammatoryFun
  • 03
    NoninflammatoryFun OP 12 hr. ago edited 9 hr. ago Pumpkin now :) (Actually at Christmas; they've already grown quite a lot since then)
    via u/NoninflammatoryFun
  • 04
    So she is 11 weeks old now!!! This pic is old. It's just when I fell in love with Pumpkin. This beautiful black stray showed up before Halloween. Then she had 5 babies. I took them in to help her because she is very petite. They're all wonderful and healthy and big. They all are going to new, loving homes in the next few weeks! But I fell in love with Pumpkin so I'm keeping her.
    via u/NoninflammatoryFun
  • 05
    I had one cat my whole life. I'm 34. We had her for 20 years and then this year a stray boy cat showed up, but he's largely outdoors. And then these kittens showed up. Pumpkin will be kept inside. I've kept them alive and healthy so far! Got past the newborn stage. But now I have a million questions and wonder what I don't know to keep Pumpkin happy and healthy as she grows into an adult cat. I have never raised a kitten from birth. Not since I was 4 years old with our girl. What do kittens need
    via u/NoninflammatoryFun
  • 06
    guesswhat8. 1 hr. ago -get her spayed. as soon as the vet is willing to do it. -don't spray water to punish her. Don't yell at her. Cats don't understand that and will just resent you. -70:30 wet to dry food. Feeding wet food also helps them keep hydrated because they don't have a thirst sense like we do. still offer water. Dry food is good for their teeth.
    via u/guesswhat8
  • 07
    -Feed the best grain free/sugar free wet and dry food you can afford. makes for less smelly cat and poo. - your kitten only needs a 100- 200 calories a day (online websites can help), do the math and don't overfeed her. -get a second kitten. they will teach each other how to cat and keep each other company when you are away.
    via u/guesswhat8
  • 08
    -keep playing with the cat, helps with bonding and stimulation. -get a scratching post or three. but don't overdo it with toys, get an empty box instead. ;)
    via u/guesswhat8
  • 09
    Funstorm6487 · 8 hr. ago DO NOT PUT HER IN YOUR LAP WHILE IN THE BATHROOM!!!!! You'll never be left alone again
    via u/Funstorm6487
  • 10
    Capable-Flow6639.6 hr. ago Omg I did this. Massive mistake. Litter box is next to the toilet ao she comes and pees in her box the jumps on my lap in the mornings
    via u/Capable-Flow6639
  • 11
    Charming_Sandwich 53 10 hr. ago Make sure you spay and neuter! Enjoy your pumpkin! 131 Reply Share ... NoninflammatoryFun OP. 9 hr. ago Oh, they just got fixed Thursday! Glad I'm doing one thing right so far haha. Thank you!
    via u/Charming_Sandwich 53
  • 12
    SomeKindofName42 6 hr. ago Rule 1 Remember the cat has you, not the other way around. Rule 2 - speuter your pet. And get regular vaccines. Rule 3- the best cat toys are free: cardboard boxes, crinkle packaging paper from the boxes, toilet paper rolls, pens they knock off the table, the plastic bits from bottles and milk cartons Rule 4 - ok, it's TOTALLY worth buying ping pong balls. Kitties and ping pong balls are the best! Rule 5 - let go of any ideas of privacy, it does not exist anymore. See
    via u/SomeKindofName42
  • 13
    Clean their cute little ears with ear solution on half a cotton ball about once per month, forever. Leave solid food out all the time and feed them tiny servings of wet food as often as possible. They have tiny tummies. I fed ours 6-8x per day early on (I'm home most of the time. Save your cardboard boxes and make them a fort. Build again when they outgrow the first one. Use Non-clumping, unscented litter til they're 6 months old. I can only find it at Walmart. It's cheap as hell. Change the who
    via u/SomeKindofName42
  • 14
    die_hubsche 7 hr. ago Congrats! You're gonna spend a small fortune on food for a while assuming you're buying the good stuff (Royal Canin is the gold standard). Good lord, growing babies can eat. If you have plants, know which ones are toxic and act accordingly. Non-toxic plants, if they're interested in the soil, can be covered in river rock. Get em used to having their toes spread out so nail clipping isn't hard in the future. Baby claws are so hard to cut because they're super short, so I onl
    via u/die_hubsche
  • 15
    JunesBuggy 11 hr. ago Have people over to interact with her so she gets used to people. Don't let anyone use their hands as a play toy use real toys so she doesn't think hands are ok to attack. Get her used to being put in a cat carrier and take her for regular car rides so it's less traumatic for her as an adult. Enjoy this fun time and take lots of pictures and videos.
    via u/JunesBuggy
  • 16
    Equal_Rip_8062 · 11 hr. ago I foster kittens & often bottlefeed until adoption. This is standard protocol 1. fecal test - Majority of kittens have parasites (ie. coccidia, roundworm, etc) and can pass to your other cats and affect their health. Outdoor cats can bring in stuff on their paws too. I would drop off fecal for your vet to test. 2. Revolution - fleas, roundworm, heartworm (need to measure based on weight) 3. Forti Flora probiotics mix with food Toys without strings or small things that
    via u/Equal_Rip_8062
  • 17
    Nayruna 9 hr. ago edited 9 hr. ago . 1. Vet checks for fleas and worms, get her microchipped and make sure you actually put in the information, so many peoples cats go missing, get picked up and because their owners never actually kept their info updated or even did anything at all with it, they just get put in a shelter and never reunited, first thing I did when I got my rescue and all her papers was update her chip info under my name and my address. 2. I raised a kitten back when I lived at ho
    via u/Nayruna
  • 18
    3. Feed her good quality food, Google the food with the best nutritional value in your country/area and buy that or something close to it if it's too expensive, please don't feed her supermarket own brand shit or whiskers etc it's so garbage. 4. Routine! Feed her at the same time every day, you could even incorporate play before food time because then she has the sense that she "caught" or earned her food. It also signals the end of playtime (something you will be very thankful for when she is a
    via u/Nayruna
  • 19
    5. Puzzles! Cats like to satisfy their need to hunt! And if she's not stayed with Mother or siblings then she wont have an outlet for that, At the end of playtime my cat gets a puzzle ball with treats inside and sometimes she gets treats put on a little activity board. She calms down after that because she knows she "caught" her food and that playtime is over - you'd be surprised how deft some cats can be with puzzles, and starting her young will be really neat. 6. OMG IMPORTANT cat proof the ho
    via u/Nayruna
  • 20
    8. Other random helpful things I remember are things like - never play with just your hands or she will know it's ok to bite people, if she does attack your hands hiss at her (if she goes absolutely ham on you), but if it's just a quick one, make an owwwwwwwwwww. sound, remove the hand and walk away and ignore her for a bit, then play with a toy, don't push or swat at their heads to tell them they're being bad, they won't understand. Also do lots of slow blinks and winks and give kisses and litt
    via u/Nayruna
  • 21
    RedneckOfFlat Lands - 10 hr. ago No cords No yarn No strings -- that cat will just eat them and get it stuck in their tummy, causing you thousands in vet bills Hard food first, then soft. -- hard food keeps their teeth clean
    via u/RedneckOfFlatLands

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