Got a Kitten for Christmas

[blaze101xx]

I got a 5 week old kitten for Christmas.  Any tips on taking care of her are welcome.  Her name is Franky.  I love her so much.  I'm 18 so it is a big responsibility for me.  I set her up a safe room in my room, with her kitty litter.  She usually sleeps with me at night.  All my animals love her but occasionally growl if she gets close while they are eating.  I have a Maltese, and two Labs.  I have been looking on here for tips with taking care of her.

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• blaze101xx
• Dec 26, 2015

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• blaze101xx
• Dec 26, 2015

 

[margd]

Welcome to TCS! Frankie is adorable and so is that little dog! It's been a long time since I had a kitten so I don't know much about caring for them but do know that 5 weeks is awfully young to be separated from her mother. You might want to post your questions on the Pregnant Cats and Kittens forum. There are some terrific advisors there who can help you.


Frankie is really a little doll! [emoji]128149[/emoji]

 

[fyllis]

Franky is adorable! Merry Christmas! 

It's 2:30 in the morning here and I was about to go to bed when I saw this thread, LOL  So, here it goes...

I am just going to make a list with a few suggestions here:

1. Get her to avet for a'kitten check-up' as soon as possible! She will need to start her first series of vaccinations soon. You will need a pet carrier. You can buy one for about $30 or you can get a temporary cardboard one at Walmart for about $8-$10.00. 

6 weeks First Vaccination - Temporary
10 Weeks Booster Vaccination
14 Weeks Final Vaccination

Expect the vet to give her an over all exam: 

Visual observation - checking for mobility, balance, alertness, skin and fur condition. 
Listen to heart, lungs and abdomen. Takes rectal temp. 
Looks at eyes, ears and teeth. Should check paws, claws, leg joints and spine.
Palpates abdomen - checking organ size and placement, and for anything unusual (lumps, bumps, etc.).
Gives vaccination.
Gives liquid oral deworming meds from syringe.
Gives flea treatment.

You and the vet should discuss having her spayed (this is a MUST). It's best to have kittens spayed before they reach puberty, but some vets won't spay or neuter until they have gotten their rabies vaccine. Talk with your vet about this

.

Do NOT have your kitten declawed! It is brutal mutilation and can negatively affect your kitten throughout her entire life! There are threads on this topic elsewhere on this site. For more information regarding declawing, please Google it! 

Ask your vet to show you how to clip her claws. Starting this at a young age is essential because it gets her accustomed to it and deters major disaster later as she gets older. Trimming her claws every 2 weeks or so will eliminate scratching you and the furniture! 

Start calling around to find a vet (unless you already have one that treats your dogs?). Ask about costs of check-up and vaccines and spaying. 

After the 1st visit is complete, schedule for the 2nd visit/vaccine series.

Your kitten might be a little listless after the vaccines and this is quite normal. She might hide in a dark corner or sleep for long periods and only awaken to eat and poop for the first 12 to 24 hours. Provide her with a private area away from the dogs and people during this time. She might not have any after-effects at all and be a hyper little kitten afterward too!
 
2. Kitten food ONLY! And they need this for the 1st year. Kitten food has the extra protein, fats, vitamins and minerals needed for growth and healthy development. She can eat either wet or dry, but I suggest not giving her 'just' dry because kittens (and cats) need plenty of water and dry food only does not provide enough. Talk with your vet about nutrition while you are there.

3. A shallow feeding dish so she can easily access her food - one that is wide enough that her whiskers don't touch the sides and low enough that her face isn't down in a 'dark hole'. Do not use plastic bowls - plastic harbors bacteria and can contribute to allergies and feline acne. Use glass, ceramic or stainless steel. If you are on a tight budget, pick up some small aluminum baking tins at the dollar store for now.
I purchased a plastic serving tray at the dollar store to place my cat's food and water dishes on to keep it from being scattered across the room (cat's do scatter their food! LOL) and water from saturating the floor. Also, try to keep the food and water dishes at least a foot apart. Cats generally don't like drinking where they eat and it also deters food from getting into the water dish and contaminating it. Remove any wet food she hasn't eaten after 4 hours and discard it. If you refrigerate portions of wet food, keep it tightly covered. You can gently warm it in the microwave for about 5-8 seconds, but be SURE to sitr it and check the temperature on your wrist like would for a baby's bottle! You don't want her to burn her mouth on a 'hot spot'!

4. Fresh water every day! Change it frquently and wash her dishes with warm water and dish soap (rinse well!) after each feeding snd water change.

5. Litter box - at her age, she shouldn't have too much problem climbing in and out of a 'regular' sized box. There are shallow 'kitten' boxes, but it is just as east to provide a 'step' for her to use to get into the box (ie.: Place a brick in front of the box and one inside the box to give her easier access). 

6. Find a dust free litter! Kittens are susceptible to URIs (Upper Respiratory Infections) and litter dust is a leading cause. Some people clearly advise using non-clumping litter due to kittens sometimes ingest litter and it can contribute to constipation and bowl blockages. Again, discuss this with your vet.

7. Grooming - A soft bristled brush and a fine toothed comb are really all you need as it lookslike she is a shoert-hair. There is no need to bathe your kitten unless she has an accident and needs a good rinsing off. No shampoos - especially if they are not specifically for cats!

8. Toys - Yes! Kittens and cats love and need toys! But you don't have to break the bank on them. I avoid toys with feathers (they can choke on them and they can cause intestinal blockages), toys with small parts (little eyes, buttons or anything your kitten might chew off and ingest) and no string. Catnip toys are almost unavoidable, but most kittens don't react to it until they are about  6 months of age - so, no need to purchase cat nip at this time. You can make toys very inexpensively - your kitten has no concept of money, how much you spent or where you got it, she only knows that she has a toy!

I purchased a pair of 72 inch, leather shoestrings for boots and tied a series of slipknots on it. My cats both love them because they can chew the leather, grasp the knots and play with the ends of the shoestring. Cost: $1.99 for the pair. Toilet paper rolls - give her the whole thing, pull it apart for her, or cut it into smaller rings - she will love all three! Cost: Pretty much free. Get a length of hemp rope about 4 feet long - Wad a ball of aluminum foil very tightly around one end of the rope (twirl the rope throughout the ball to make it more secure) and put a loop in the other end of the rope and slip it over a doorknob. Voila! She now has an interactive toy that she can bat and knock around and she won't lose it! Cost: about $2.00 

As difficult and tempting as it might be, do NOT use your hands as toys! Meaning, belly rubs and tickles or general tossling her etc. because this will give her the idea it is OK to bite your hands and fingers.  Get a yard stick or something similar and tie some hemp rope to the end with a small stuffed toy ties to the end - similar to a fishing pole concept. Holding the toy about 10-12 inches off the ground will encourage her to jump; dragging it across the floor will encourage her to hunt, pounce and catch her 'prey'. A  red laser light is another inexpensive toy, but NEVER shine it in her eyes as it can damage her sensitive retinas! Use your imagination and have fun interacting with her without allowing her to get at your hands and fingers.

If she bites (and she will - kittens do that) tell her No! and take your hands away from her reach and redirect her with a toy that she CAN chew and bite on!

OK, this should give you some things to think about and keep you busy for a while! LOL It is going on 4:00A.M. and I am old and have to get to bed here!

I hope this has helped a little in getting you started. If you have ANY questions or concerns, never hesitate to ask... there is NO such thing as a 'stupid question'! 

One last thought! I know you said she and your dogs are getting along very well, but please, do NOT leave them together unsupervised! Accidents happen even if they are 'just playing' and she is too young to defend herself right now!

 

[Norachan]

Welcome to The Cat Site @Blaze101xx  Beautiful kitten! Congratulations.

You've had some great advice here already. I'd just like to add that 5 weeks is awfully young to be away from her mother. It's usually recommended that kittens stay with mum until they are at least 12 weeks old, preferably older, to ensure they are healthy.

Get her checked over by the vet as soon as you can. She's going to need proper wet food for kittens and your vet may suggest adding some KMR to her diet. If you have any questions please start a thread on our Pregnant Cats and Kittens forum.

 http://www.thecatsite.com/f/36/pregnant-cats-and-kitten-care

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[blaze101xx]

Thanks.  We got her from a place that shelters cats.  The cat was already separated from the mother when they got her.

 

[blaze101xx]

Thank you so much for the time you took to write me that advice, it has been really helpful.  I had no idea I had to trim her claws so thanks for the heads up.

 

[blaze101xx]

I will, thanks.

 

[zed xyzed]

She is so cute, If you ever needed to know anything about cats, this is the site. welcome 

 

[fyllis]

 
Thank you so much for the time you took to write me that advice, it has been really helpful.  I had no idea I had to trim her claws so thanks for the heads up.

You're very welcome!

As I said, trimming her claws will prevent her from  scratching people and furniture and eliminate any need for declawing! You can have the vet show you how to do this and/or you can find videos on youtube. I use a regular (large) nail clipper. You should buy a new one even if you have one already because it should be sharp. 

One thing I neglected to mention was she will need a scratching post of some type. My two Boys will neither one use anything covered with sisal rope. They hate it and avoid it. They also seemed to get their claws stuck in it for some reason and would meow until I went to rescue them! I donated to the shelter and went to Walmart and bought them the corrugated cardboard scatching pads and they LOVE them! 

Again, never hesitate to ask questions here! 

 

[blaze101xx]

Thanks.  I have a sisal rope one and my cat doesn't seem to care about it.  I'm thinking that might just because she is too young to be interested in scratching yet.  She will kneed sometimes though.

 

[ginny]

One last thought! I know you said she and your dogs are getting along very well, but please, do NOT leave them together unsupervised! Accidents happen even if they are 'just playing' and she is too young to defend herself right now!

Good advice that bears repeating!

 It is troubling to me that the little baby is not aware that dogs can be so possessive over their food.  At petloss, a member's cat was killed by the dog when she wandered too close to his bowl, so please put kitten in a crate while the dogs eat! 

Franky is adorable!!

 

[stewball]

When trimming the claws you must be careful not to cut them to short. You mustn't cut the quick. It'll u very painful for her and bleed. If you look carefully you can see the quick near the top of the claw. Don't cut so high.

 

[blaze101xx]

Yeah, I think I will wait until her next vet visit in February before I cut her claws so they can show me how.

 

[fyllis]

Trimming your cats claws can be easy if done correctly. If you are more comfortable waiting until your vet shows you how, that is fine. But I am adding a few videos that show how it is done. With watching videos, you can pause them and/or watch them over and over (I can assure you, once you leave the Vet's office and get home you won't remember 1/2 of what he showed you). 

These videos are reminders and some include tips on how to get your kitty used to having his/her paws and claws touched and trimmed; identify the 'quick'; stop bleeding if you accidentally hit the 'quick' of the claw; how to hold you kitty while trimming claws; and how to safely wrap your kitty 'burrito style' if s/he is aggressive. 

Some show different 'tools' to use. Personally, I use a large 'human' nail clipper. Be sure the one you use is new to assure it is sharp and doesn't have any residue (never use 'your' nail clipper on your cat or vise versa to avoid cross-contmination. You don't want to get a potential infection from lingering litter box debri; nor does your cat want to be given any possible nail fungus that might (or might not) be on your clipper. Some things just aren't meant to be shared. To help me identify my cat's clipper from mine, I just put a small dot of red nail polish on the inside of the handle (I refresh it as needed if it wears off with usage). 

The best time to trim your kitty's claws is when you are both relaxed. After a heavy play session and treat when your kitty is worn out a bit and tired is usually a good time. Over time, you will work out your own routine as you get to know your cat better.

This is a pretty good demo, but the lighting isn't all that great and it's a bit difficult to see the 'quick' of the claw. I usually don't cut as short as he does here; I just take off the very tip of the claw (about 1/8 inch off the very tip )


This next video shows how to get your kitten used to trimming. There is very little talking here, but there are words on the screen. I had to pause to read it because I was distracted by the demonstration. This is a good tutorial as well.


On this next video you have a better view of the 'quick'. Very good demo.


And here is a video by Petco. 


This last video shows how to safely secure and comfort your cat by wrapping it in a towel. 


I hope these have helped you get an idea of how easily you can get your kitty used to having it's claws trimmed without stressing either of you! 

Since you will be waiting until February to get into the Vet's for a demo, take this time to get your kitty used to having it's paws and claws touched and handled. After a week or two, introduce the clipper and 'pretend' to clip the claws by just touching it to your cats nails. This will get both you and your cat more comfortable.

If you have ANY questions, never hesitate to ask! There is NO such thing as a 'stupid question'! You won't get answers if you don't ask!

 

[blaze101xx]

It it normal for my kitten to throw up?  She just threw up, and now she is eating but I was wondering about it because it is the second time she has thrown up since I got her.

 

[donutte]

 
It it normal for my kitten to throw up?  She just threw up, and now she is eating but I was wondering about it because it is the second time she has thrown up since I got her.

Sorry if this sounds gross but it can be important - what does the vomit look like? If it looks like she just threw the food back up and looks almost exactly like it did before she ate it, she probably is just eating too fast.

 

[blaze101xx]

It was almost clear with some food in it but pretty much clear.

 

[donutte]

Hmmm that could be quite a few different things (or nothing, just depends). Have you had a chance to take her to the vet yet?

 

[blaze101xx]

Not taking her until February, unless I need to of course.

 

[catpack]

It is not normal for kittens to vomit. Causes for vomiting could be parasites (roundworms are notorious for this), food allergy/intolerance or other medical issues.

Do you know when your kitten was last dewormed?