First time kitten owner... scared! Food and drink

[firehawk]

Hi fellow cat lovers.
My SO surprised me for my birthday...
She got me a kitten! Have had him for 5 days.

I have never owned pets and I am scared but always loved cats.
What sucks is that I am personally away for 2 weeks at a time most times for work.

Vet has given my domestic short-haired kitten a clean bill of health. They say he is around 12 weeks old.
I named him "zoom" because he really does zoom from one end of the house to another

We are giving him dry food (chicken)
Also wet food once a day.
He seems to like the purina one and will be sticking with it, just like kitty litter.

Questions:
- is this ok?

- he did not like to drink water so I ended up having him drink from the faucet from my hand. I then got him a water fountain and had to show him how to use it. I do however have to manually take it to him... it is in him bedroom with his toys and bed. I'm worried he won't drink but he does drink from it when I put him there next to it.

- he does not seem to eat a treat. Hates temptations so I tried greenies (salmon). He had that 1 time that and also a meowjuna... just 1 of each but then he started to eat his dry food

- excellent at toilet. Trained. I wish I could hug and kiss him I'm so proud of him for doing it properly. Lol. Sorry, I have a soft mushy side to me. Should we stick with the same kitty litter brand? We are using purina one 4 in 1 tighter clumping.

- his food bowl is in the laundry room as is his litter tray but the tray is inside an open closet space. Does not seem to have a problem at all. Is this ok?

- he suckles and seems to get comfy. He is more attached to mama human than me. Not sure why. Is suckling ok? He seems to suckle on finger or clothing or bedding.

- sometimes he has a rush of energy and looks confused or super hyper alert even though we play with him and he loves 1 specific toy I got him (it's like an automatic feather peeper from one random hole to another). It also looks like he is having some panic attack or something. Being a 1st owner I don't know if it's normal. He does eventually calm down. No biting or anything.

- he will be neutered in 4 weeks. Will it hurt him? How much? What signs should we look for? Will he hate us or change his behavior?

- we are also now trying to get him to sleep in his room and have our bedroom door closed. He meows (makes my heart cry) once or twice but then goes away. Is this ok? Are we neglecting him for the night?

- Food: will he be bored with the same dry food or wet food? How often should we change the food to fish or chicken? So far with us, only had the chicken flavor.

Sorry for the questions. I worry. He will be an indoor cat. I happy but so scared. Ugh. I can't focus on work as I am worried about him and if he is ok in general and comfortable. He does purr and gets comfortable and suckles....

 

[verna davies]

Welcome to the site firehawk and Zoom, glad you have joined us and how exciting to have a new kitten, enjoy Zoom.

Wet food is better than dry food IMO especially if he doesn't drink water as wet food will provide the fluids he needs. A kitten will need lots of food whilst he is growing and if he is home alone during the day then dry food should be left out for him.

Sometimes the food you feed may not be available so its a good idea to feed a different brand as well so you will always have some food for him.

Even if you dont see him drinking, always leave water accessible for him especially if he is eating dry food. Try putting a couple of bowls down in different places to see if he prefers one over the other, cats are very particular.

If he doesn't like treats then dont feed him any, most are not particularly healthy. If you can find something healthy he likes, use that as a treat.

As for the litter, if he's using it without any problems then no need to change it. Is it low dust?. Cats dont like the litter tray near their food, understandably, so in a different area is good.

Lots of kittens suckle, some never grow out of it.

Kittens have limitless energy so play with him as much as you can, it will be bonding and he will choose the toy he likes best even if its a piece of scrunched up paper.

Neutering for a male cat is pretty straightforward, usually no stitches and he should be given painkillers at the vet. If you have any questions, speak to the vet who is neutering him. He might well act as if nothing has happened when he gets home or he made be a bit quiet after the anesthetic, like humans, cats act differently but he won't hate you and most probably be exactly the same, active, lovable kitten he is now.

If you dont want him in the bedroom at night and he cries to come in try putting a soft toy in his bed for company.

Just enjoy playing with him and watching him grow. Post a photo of him when you get a chance for us to see.

 

[Alldara]

Hi F firehawk ! Welcome and congratulations

- he may not drink a lot of water if he fully eats wet food. It's fine to keep encouraging him. Kittens sometimes get distracted

- please stop feeding Greenies. They are too hard for kitten teeth. I believe the package should say for 1 years old and up (it does here). It's fine print somewhere. You can try freeze dried treats or soft treats or even another type of temptations

- I always recommend not to use clay litter, especially for younger cats. Many people on here use it though. I prefer to stick away from clay or pine especially for male cats as my first cat has urinary issues from those litters.

- he's just hyper no need for concern. Zoomies means he's happy

- your vet should give you instructions for neutering. I think there's two possible surgeries and I'm not sure which is done where you are. Likely he will need a cone for a bit so you can get a soft cone ahead of time. The medication they give for after should keep him comfortable and make him extra cuddly!

- he will not hate you for getting him fixed. He will be a happier and healthier cat long term with less chances of behavioural issues.

- it's fine to keep him out at night if it's what you want. However, he is likely lonely. Usually it's recommended to adopt two kittens, to keep eachother busy and bond. You can still do this if you have the financial ability to do so and want to. He will get used to being a solo cat and it will be harder to do later on.

- don't decide to let him in your room and kick him out later however. This is harder on him than just sticking to it now. Keeping him out at night is perfectly valid and loads of pet owners do this. There's nothing wrong with it.

- Food: you can give him another flavour once or twice a week if you want. But you don't have to of he's happy to continue eating what he's eating. I liked to bring home some Wureva and give my cats that for lunch a couple times a week. They enjoy the treat I also feed Purina Pro Plan.

- dry food must be changed over slowly. My recommendation for this is to stick to one brand and flavour

 

[Alldara]

Oh yes. I would move his food and water far from his litter. Cats don't really like it there. A kitten will tolerate it.

Oh and as for treats, you can get a small bag of another brand of dry cat food and use that as treats instead.

Many of us feed dry food for cost purposes, but it's not the healthiest for them (but please don't stress on it). BUT for those of us that do feed it, we can make it playful and enriching for them. You can play toss the treat and he will chase and eat it which is a very good game for him.

There's loads of ways to provide treat and dry food enrichment that is not expensive so I love to share it:

 

[firehawk]

Thank you all!!! I appreciate your valuable inputs!
I will ask human mama to move the food into another room. Probably not the same room where his toys and water station is? A different room altogether where it is accessible.

The fact that most times we have to take him to the water station and 80% of the time he drinks water then, makes me wonder if he is doing it just to tell us he is a good boy? Or will cats refuse water/food if they are not thirsty/hungry even if presented to them?

As for greenies - thank you for letting me know! I had no idea. Good news though, he did not have any of them at all but will be sure to donate them or keep them until later.

Question for the food situation: he eats dry food mostly and yes, wet food once a day. Are you suggesting that we should swap it out where both are accessible and let him pick? If he finishes his wet food, should we refill for later in the day eating and leave it out? Should they be kept separate from dry food or can they be next to each other?

I know, I know - it seems like I am too much of a worrier (I am) and a coddler. Drats.. never knew I would act like this but I only do it naturally because I care!

Now to find pet insurance....

 

[maggie101]

I would also suggest getting another kitten since you will be gone for 2 weeks and will continue because of work. Usually cats are sociable. Get lots of chew toys. Check out www.catfooddb.com for ideas about food
A food. Timer would help with meowing at night for food

 

[Furballsmom]

Are you suggesting that we should swap it out where both are accessible and let him pick? If he finishes his wet food, should we refill for later in the day eating and leave it out?

Some people prefer their kittens and cats to eat wet food more (more in quantity) than the kibble since dry food has a lot more empty carbs and less moisture. You might consider multiple small meals of wet food during the day so that you can monitor how he's eating and if he's gaining weight appropriately. At his age and at least until he's a year or a little older, he needs to eat as much as he wants to support all the growth that is happening.
Having the kibble next to the canned food might make it a little more difficult for him to choose the wet food, if that's what you want him to eat, but you'll want some kibble available for him for overnight so he doesn't go too long without food.

This might help, although you've already gotten some great advice above
First-time Cat Owner’s Guide – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Alldara]

It's really your preference and budget allowance for ratio of dry to wet, until/if your vet says otherwise.

I always suggest, especially for male cats that they have at least one can of wet food meal a day with extra water added to it (tsp or so). You can split this into two meals, morning and night each with a tsp of water, even better!

Budget wise the ratio is important as it's whatever is affordable to you so that you can afford his yearly checkup and blood work, and yourselves of course.

If you begin to add more wet food, you can cut back on dry. Personally, my cats' wet and dry foods are fed in the same spot if I'm using a bowl for dry. I feed wet food when I get up, dry before I leave for work...so not at the same time so that the dry isn't gobbled up and wet left. If there is wet left, it is put until noon or when we get home (we have air conditioner in the summer and it's not in the sun) or overnight. I haven't had issue with them getting sick but that will depend on the climate you're in.

Dry food I try to always feed in a puzzle feeder, or treat ball. Dry food is high in carbs so I want their level of movement to match what they eat. Plus it's a great way to active their brains..we only started this in the last two years and my 16 years old cat LOVES it. In fact, if there is a treat ball with food and some in his bowl, he will choose the treat ball every time, even with his arthritis.

It can be the same room as his water and toys if wanted. For example you could elevate the food up from the water using the cardboard the canned food comes in and place it next to the water and.most cats will find that it is 'away' enough from the water.

Since he seems to forget to drink, it actually might be better to have it nearby to the water. He won't drink if he isn't wanting it, even if you place him there. You're not upsetting him by taking him to the water! More water is better so please continue this if it works for your home.

If you have multiple levels of house, we found that putting a shallow dish of water on one floor, and a human cup (now a cat 'bowl') also help to encourage drinking. They have different options. You can also try putting a cork (cleaned so no more alcohol on it) or a coloured ping-pong ball on the water to draw his attention to it. Each of our cats has a preference for drinking area so having variety so we could learn the preference was key.


An example of feeding wet food that works in my home:
1- in the morning, usually out until noon in the off chance they don't finish it. It's one can between 3 cats. No dry.
2- my wife feeds second can of wet split 3 ways at lunchtime. (When we didn't WFH, it was at 3pm when we got home from work and we did leave dry out during the day). It's out until 5pm in the off chance they didn't finish it.
3- 5pm can split 3 ways so they are busy while we eat and not bugging us. After our dinner if they are still bugging they each get a tablespoon of dry
4- two cans wet food split between 3 cats and left out for the entire night. If it's super hot, we will put ice packs under the feeder (we have a raised one with a hollow bottom). 1/3 cup dry food split between a puzzle, a treat ball, two treat mice and a rabbit snuffle mat (no rabbit it was just less expensive than a dog one).

 

[Alldara]

As for pet insurance, there are many threads on it if you search this site. At least a couple are recent.

My personal preference is PetSecure. I'm in Canada.

 

[firehawk]

You people rock! Thank you. Let me understand and digest this and get back.

 

[Furballsmom]

No worries we're here

 

[maggie101]

Check out all the cat articles at the top and pinned threads. Have fun!

101 Feline Home Hazards

I found a really good link with a list of hazards in your home by category - 101 Feline Home Hazards - Lincoln Avenue Cat Hospital

thecatsite.com

 

[Morpheus1967]

Thank you all!!! I appreciate your valuable inputs!
I will ask human mama to move the food into another room. Probably not the same room where his toys and water station is? A different room altogether where it is accessible.

There is nothing wrong with putting his food and water next to each other.

 

[Furballsmom]

There is nothing wrong with putting his food and water next to each other.

It's sometimes suggested not to. If there are any issues where the kitten or cat isn't drinking enough, then it's probably a good idea to have at least one water source elsewhere

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

I have never seen my kitty drink water when she wasn't stealing it from a human's cup/glass (the latter of which is consistent with her scamp personality). I always have a bowl out, and I recently moved it away from her food bowl and into another room, and still I don't think she drinks it. But she gets three wet meals a day, so I'm not particularly concerned at this point.

 

[Furballsmom]

A water glass filled to the brim was one of my angel Poppy's favorite water sources

 

[Morpheus1967]

It's sometimes suggested not to. If there are any issues where the kitten or cat isn't drinking enough, then it's probably a good idea to have at least one water source elsewhere

Why? If there are issues where they aren't drinking enough, what good does another water source do? They just won't drink from that one either. I have had cats on and off for 30+ years and have NEVER separated food and water.

 

[maggie101]

Why? If there are issues where they aren't drinking enough, what good does another water source do? They just won't drink from that one either. I have had cats on and off for 30+ years and have NEVER separated food and water.

Furballsmom has a great suggestion. Cats do not always drink from that spot while eating. My cat sleeps in the living room then occasionally gets up for water in the living room. Doesn't walk back to the kitchen. Also sleeps with me so water is there also. Canned food,churu tubes,and tiki stick will help a lot. Plus male cats are more prone to have urinary tract infections

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Hi fellow cat lovers.
My SO surprised me for my birthday...
She got me a kitten! Have had him for 5 days.

I have never owned pets and I am scared but always loved cats.
What sucks is that I am personally away for 2 weeks at a time most times for work.

Vet has given my domestic short-haired kitten a clean bill of health. They say he is around 12 weeks old.
I named him "zoom" because he really does zoom from one end of the house to another

We are giving him dry food (chicken)
Also wet food once a day.
He seems to like the purina one and will be sticking with it, just like kitty litter.

Questions:
- is this ok?

- he did not like to drink water so I ended up having him drink from the faucet from my hand. I then got him a water fountain and had to show him how to use it. I do however have to manually take it to him... it is in him bedroom with his toys and bed. I'm worried he won't drink but he does drink from it when I put him there next to it.

- he does not seem to eat a treat. Hates temptations so I tried greenies (salmon). He had that 1 time that and also a meowjuna... just 1 of each but then he started to eat his dry food

- excellent at toilet. Trained. I wish I could hug and kiss him I'm so proud of him for doing it properly. Lol. Sorry, I have a soft mushy side to me. Should we stick with the same kitty litter brand? We are using purina one 4 in 1 tighter clumping.

- his food bowl is in the laundry room as is his litter tray but the tray is inside an open closet space. Does not seem to have a problem at all. Is this ok?

- he suckles and seems to get comfy. He is more attached to mama human than me. Not sure why. Is suckling ok? He seems to suckle on finger or clothing or bedding.

- sometimes he has a rush of energy and looks confused or super hyper alert even though we play with him and he loves 1 specific toy I got him (it's like an automatic feather peeper from one random hole to another). It also looks like he is having some panic attack or something. Being a 1st owner I don't know if it's normal. He does eventually calm down. No biting or anything.

- he will be neutered in 4 weeks. Will it hurt him? How much? What signs should we look for? Will he hate us or change his behavior?

- we are also now trying to get him to sleep in his room and have our bedroom door closed. He meows (makes my heart cry) once or twice but then goes away. Is this ok? Are we neglecting him for the night?

- Food: will he be bored with the same dry food or wet food? How often should we change the food to fish or chicken? So far with us, only had the chicken flavor.

Sorry for the questions. I worry. He will be an indoor cat. I happy but so scared. Ugh. I can't focus on work as I am worried about him and if he is ok in general and comfortable. He does purr and gets comfortable and suckles....

I appreciate your openness to learning. Please understand it's not my desire to be condemning of people and their choices; I'm just sharing with you some of what I learned so that, if at all possible, you will be spared the frustration that I went through.

I will never surprise someone with the gift of a new pet and your story is one of the reasons why.

Okay, first major problem I'm seeing is that you're away for 2 weeks at a time AND he's the only cat in the house, if I understand correctly. I had to learn the hard way that it's a very BAD idea to raise a kitten as the only cat around. A kitten needs to grow up around other kittens or cats that will teach him how to be a cat, including especially how rough is too rough during play. You may not have any small children living with you now, but think long-term.

If your solitary kitten grows up to use his teeth and claws on humans during play, there is nothing stopping him from playfully clawing or biting at your babies and toddlers. And no, the humans trying to teach him to not use his teeth and claws on them during play isn't going to cut it. Some people say they've had success with using a shake can, yelling at the cat, imitating a cat hiss, but there are plenty other cats (like mine) that do not care what their humans think. There are some lessons that a cat needs to learn that can only be sufficiently learned from being with other cats.

Okay, problem number 2- dry food and feed-grade food. Both these options are very BAD ideas to feed to your cat, ESPECIALLY since yours won't drink water regularly. Believe it or not, it's normal for cats to not be habitual water drinkers. In their natural state outdoors, they receive most of the moisture they need from feeding on raw kills. It's well-known that even cats that are on a dry food diet still don't drink enough water to compensate for the lack of moisture in their food.

The other problem with dry food is rancidity. Dry food turns rancid as soon as you open the bag. The food is cooked at super high temperatures quickly, killing off any nutrients left in the food. It's comparable to a human living off of Doritos.

The issue with both dry and wet food that is feed-grade rather than human-grade is that all kinds of ingredients get into the food that have no business being there. Feed-grade pet food has, among other things, parts of diseased and euthanized animals, including euthanized cats and dogs and other animals that were riddled with cancer tumors. Many feed-grade foods are also way too high in carbohydrates, which cats have difficulty digesting.

Research Dr. Karen Becker, Dr. Richard Pitcairn, Dr. Judy Jasek, Dr. Julie Ann Lee, and Rita Hogan.

A much better option is to feed your cat a human-grade raw diet, and it's not always as expensive as you think. Second-best would be a human-grade canned diet. A few brands I recommend are Tiki Cat, Nature's Logic, and Raw Dog Food Co. (which also has raw meals for cats).

As for neutering- No, your cat won't hate you. He won't notice a difference! The later you can wait to neuter, the better so that his body receives the hormone help needed to finish his growing. If you're worried that he might start spraying or trying to escape, though, than yes, neuter as soon as you can.

The suckling is a sign that he was taken from his mom and siblings way too early, so this is again prompting me to strongly suggest you get him a kitten friend as soon as possible. Two kittens are not twice the work; they're better than one. They can keep each other entertained while you're at work.

Try to keep the litter box and the food and water dishes as far away from each other as possible. Some cats that develop an aversion to going in their litter box develop that aversion because their feeding and watering area is too close. In nature, they don't like to eat near the same place that they relieve themselves.

Again, there's no condemnation on my part. I realize I'm a very unconventional cat owner. Whatever changes you are able to make, that's good. Something is better than nothing. Best wishes to you and yours.

 

[maggie101]

Hi fellow cat lovers.
My SO surprised me for my birthday...
She got me a kitten! Have had him for 5 days.

I have never owned pets and I am scared but always loved cats.
What sucks is that I am personally away for 2 weeks at a time most times for work.

Vet has given my domestic short-haired kitten a clean bill of health. They say he is around 12 weeks old.
I named him "zoom" because he really does zoom from one end of the house to another

We are giving him dry food (chicken)
Also wet food once a day.
He seems to like the purina one and will be sticking with it, just like kitty litter.

Questions:
- is this ok?

- he did not like to drink water so I ended up having him drink from the faucet from my hand. I then got him a water fountain and had to show him how to use it. I do however have to manually take it to him... it is in him bedroom with his toys and bed. I'm worried he won't drink but he does drink from it when I put him there next to it.

- he does not seem to eat a treat. Hates temptations so I tried greenies (salmon). He had that 1 time that and also a meowjuna... just 1 of each but then he started to eat his dry food

- excellent at toilet. Trained. I wish I could hug and kiss him I'm so proud of him for doing it properly. Lol. Sorry, I have a soft mushy side to me. Should we stick with the same kitty litter brand? We are using purina one 4 in 1 tighter clumping.

- his food bowl is in the laundry room as is his litter tray but the tray is inside an open closet space. Does not seem to have a problem at all. Is this ok?

- he suckles and seems to get comfy. He is more attached to mama human than me. Not sure why. Is suckling ok? He seems to suckle on finger or clothing or bedding.

- sometimes he has a rush of energy and looks confused or super hyper alert even though we play with him and he loves 1 specific toy I got him (it's like an automatic feather peeper from one random hole to another). It also looks like he is having some panic attack or something. Being a 1st owner I don't know if it's normal. He does eventually calm down. No biting or anything.

- he will be neutered in 4 weeks. Will it hurt him? How much? What signs should we look for? Will he hate us or change his behavior?

- we are also now trying to get him to sleep in his room and have our bedroom door closed. He meows (makes my heart cry) once or twice but then goes away. Is this ok? Are we neglecting him for the night?

- Food: will he be bored with the same dry food or wet food? How often should we change the food to fish or chicken? So far with us, only had the chicken flavor.

Sorry for the questions. I worry. He will be an indoor cat. I happy but so scared. Ugh. I can't focus on work as I am worried about him and if he is ok in general and comfortable. He does purr and gets comfortable and suckles....

Ever since I rescued my cat Coco at 2 yrs old now 7,she suckles my fingers. Not as much now but makes it impossible to trim her nails so I take her to a vet. She was a stray taken by someone at 5 weeks old then came back 1 yr old. She became bff with a stray male cat then someone adopted him and took him to a different location.