First time kitten owner

[mycatpaulie]

Hello. I am really excited, after loosing my sweet Palmer in December I have finally found a kitten that I really like. She is a 10 month old rescued brown tabby, I am thinking of fable or feather for her name. I adopted Palmer when he was almost 3 so This is my first time owning a kitten. Is there advice I should know, I am not picking her up until next week. I am wondering what type of food is good for this age kitten and if I need to do anything special to make sure that she knows where her litter box is. I am going to keep her in my bedroom for a few days so she is not overwhelmed. Amy advice would be apprciated!

 

[Maurey]

At 10 months, a high quality (high protein, low carb) wet food will work just fine, imo. Most cats will slow down growing at that age, as your average cat will be, more or less, full grown by a year, so they don't really need the high calories of kitten food.

For good wet foods to use in a rotation, I'd suggest looking into Smalls, Tiki Cat, Ziwi Peak, and Just Food for Cats. For a more budget option Authority and Weruva have some pretty good formulations, with Authority being the cheaper option, if memory serves.

Catfooddb and AllAboutCats have some great comprehensive breakdowns and reviews of most US cat foods, and I'd suggest taking a look! AllAboutCats does a better job explaining things comprehensively, while CatFoodDB is just an at-a-glance breakdown of ingredient and nutritional quality.

Keeping her in a smaller isolated space is definitely a good idea! Young cats tend to bounce back after a move much quicker than fully grown cats, but every cat is different.

 

[mycatpaulie]

Thank you so much maurey! I will look into all of those foods. One thing I am a little worried about is that she is already on antibiotics for a clogged mammary gland. Should I give her any probiotics or do you think see how she dose without them. She is also being spayed on Friday. I apprciate your help!

 

[vince]

As far as letting her know where the litter box is, put one of her turds in it. That's usually all it takes. If it smells like a litterbox, they figure it pretty well is a litterbox!

Restricting a new kitten to a smaller space is often a good idea. I kept my little one in my closet for a couple of days, then put her in the spare bedroom until she decided to squeeze out under the door. After about a week of that, she was ready for the rest of the world (although the two other males acted afraid of her for a day or two). I should add that she was a four week-old whose mom had deserted her under my car. Such restriction probably would not be needed in a ten month old kitten.

 

[Maurey]

Thank you so much maurey! I will look into all of those foods. One thing I am a little worried about is that she is already on antibiotics for a clogged mammary gland. Should I give her any probiotics or do you think see how she dose without them. She is also being spayed on Friday. I apprciate your help!

There's nothing wrong with giving probiotics! That said, the antibiotic will likely kill any more traditional probiotics you try to give, so see if you can get something with S. boulardii in it, instead. It's a beneficial yeast, and won't be killed by antibiotics.

Are you getting her right after her spay, or after she heals up a bit? I'd suggest getting or making a surgical onesie for her if you're getting her home while she's still healing. They tend to be less restrictive and more protective for cats post-neuter :>

 

[mycatpaulie]

Thank you both! I will be picking her up about a week after her surgery. She is only 6 lbs so very tiny. I will look into the onesies that is a great idea. Do kittens ar 10 months usally still get into things, should I hind any wire or small objects in the room where she will be for the first few days?

 

[Maurey]

It depends on the cat, honestly. Small objects that a cat can easily swallow, in general, are best not to have in easy access. Things can happen, and even adult cats can make dumb choices sometimes! With chords, cats are usually long done with teething by 10 months, but some adult cats still like to chew and play with them, so it's something to keep an eye on until you know her temperament.

 

[mycatpaulie]

Great advice, I really apprciate your help! Any other tips you have are honestly so helpful. I have been searching the Internet and will be getting some books soon but your advice has been so helpful!

 

[Maurey]

A few general thoughts, then :>

Especially since she's still fairly young, it's a great time to introduce tooth brushing into her schedule, once she settles in with you. It helps maintain dental hygeiene between visits to the vet dentist for scalings, and can prevent the need for tooth removal into old age. Many people here, myself included, have had a lot of success with Virbac CET toothpaste (poultry or seafood flavour, though my weird girl likes Vanilla Mint) and a baby toothbrush. Plenty of videos on youtube that demonstrate how to get your cat used to having their mouth area handles, and, eventually, their teeth brushed.

If she's a longhair you'll definitely want to get her used to brushing, as well, and make sure you have suitable brushes for her fur. It's not typically mandatory for shorthairs, but it reduces the amount of hair you get everywhere, plus it's a bonding experience. Would be a good idea to get some clippers as well, to maintain the claws. Most cats manage to keep the length down just fine, but it's a good idea for cats to be used to clipping from a young age, as older cats will sometimes have issues.

Do you have kitty furniture around already, ideally with access to a window, if your sills are too small for a cat to perch?

Do you know what the rescue feeds, and what food you want to transition to, if you plan on transitioning her? Most people nowadays will recommend feeding a variety of high quality wet foods that are high in protein, and low in carbs, with no kibble in the diet, as it doesn't provide anything wet food wouldn't.

It's also a good time to consider whether you want to harness and/or backpack train your kitty. Not all cats will want to be adventure cats and go to the park or on a hike with you, but some will have a curious, adventurous personality, and will enjoy it.

 

[mycatpaulie]

You are awsome! I already got ha scratcher, a variety of toys, nail clippers and a teepee. I have not found a good cat tree yet but did put a nice chair against my window. The foster mom who had her said she will go over her food when we pick her up. I really apprciate your advice.

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

About food, if you know what kind of food she's currently eating, get some of that same food. Once she settles in, you can introduce different or better quality food.

 

[mycatpaulie]

That is a really good idea Neko! I know her foster mom said she wants Ro play at 3am, should I let her play by herself or get up and check on her? Sorry for so many questions I just want to make sure I do everything right! Thank you everyone!!!

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

When Neko-chan was a kitten, I made sure to never get out of bed before 6am. Crying, scratching, playing I just played dead. It worked, she's 2now and lets me sleep. Yesterday, she let me sleep until 8.

 

[mycatpaulie]

That's great advice, thank you.