Kitten Supplies!!

[Sweet Bee]

Hi everyone, I need some advice!!

Here is my shopping list that I’m about to order, am I missing anything?

This is for a 4 week kitten and a 7 week kitten. We still need to purchase things like brushes, more toys and cat towers, but we plan to pick those in person.

If you can suggest any products or items I should order I would be very grateful. I’m very new to this and want to make sure the babies are well cared for (no other pets or kids). Is this enough food and litter for the month? Thanks!

 

[talkingpeanut]

Are you fostering through a shelter? Where are you getting babies this young?

 

[Sweet Bee]

The young kitten was abandoned and an unexpected addition to the family; the 7 week old isn’t coming home until she’s a bit older so she can be with her mother.

 

[Sweet Bee]

Oh and no not fostering, sorry forgot to add that. These will be our cats for life!

 

[socaffeinated]

Looks like you've got the food and litter covered! One thing I didn't think of before bringing my kitten home - and ended up desperately needing at night lol - was kitty butt wipes, for any potential incidents. Also consider some form of dry shampoo for the same purpose. Bitter apple spray immediately stopped my kitten from chewing on cords and is quite cheap on Amazon.

I also made the mistake of purchasing a lot of toys before I figured out what my kitten liked/responded to. If I had to do it again I would get a few things of different "types" e.g. balls, large stuffed kicker toy, small mice, toys that rattle, feathers before buying more.

 

[tinydestroyer]

I totally agree about trying different types of toys. The balls with feathers that you picked look great, but that kind tends to get lost easily, so maybe try one more kind? A fishing rod type toy is great to keep your hands out of the equation, as kittens tend to treat your hands and feet like playthings if they're in the vicinity. They treat anything like a toy, really: boxes, paper, etc, lol. I think this toy is a really good and safe one for young kittens:
Cat Dancer Cat Charmer Toy

Maybe your pet store has it, or something similar. I'd also get a laser pointer for another type of interactive play, since cats love them!

It looks like you've got excellent choices for food and litter, provided that your cats agree and use them. One of my kittens was abandoned at 4 weeks, and we transitioned her from bottle feeding with KMR to a wet and dry food diet. The vet said it was good to give her the extra calories considering she was underweight at the time. I remember you said Ghost is going in to the vet on Friday, so maybe your vet can advise if they think he's underweight.

The only other suggestion I think is important is to pick out a cat carrier to take them to and from the vet. It's hard to guess at how big they'll be. I ended up getting an inexpensive one at first (which turned out to be too small anyway,) then got a better one once I knew their size and needs.

Also, since they'll be undergoing a lot of change, a Feliway diffuser (which emits comforting pheromones,) might be helpful, if they seem stressed, as well as a couple of soft fleece blankets that they can get their scent on. My cats totally ignore their "beds," but love their blankets. These things might also come in handy when it's time to introduce them to each other. Treats for positive reinforcement go a long way, too!

 

[GoldyCat]

With a kitten that young I would suggest starting with a non-clumping litter. They tend to eat anything and litter clumping in the tummy is not a good thing.

 

[tabbytom]

Sweet Bee , here are some articles to help you along. There are many more here :- Articles | TheCatSite

Bringing Home A New Cat - The Complete Guide
New Cat Checklist: What You Need To Get Before Bringing Kitty Home
First-time Cat Owner's Guide
How Many Litterboxes Should You Have?
What's The Largest Cat Litter Box (and Why Your Cat Needs It)
Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips
9 Tips That Will Help Your Kitten Adapt To A New Apartment
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home
How Much Time Does It Take To Care For A Cat?
Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats
Cats & Lilies: Avoid The Danger Lurking In Your Home
Household Chemicals And Your Cats
52 Reasons Why Cats Must Get Inside Boxes
Choosing The Right Cat Toy For Your Kitten

 

[RajaNMizu]

I love Tiki food but young kittens might have trouble with the texture. If you find you need wet kitten food, here are some selections to look through. CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

 

[talkingpeanut]

The young kitten was abandoned and an unexpected addition to the family; the 7 week old isn’t coming home until she’s a bit older so she can be with her mother.

Congratulations on your new family members!

Your kitten with a mom should stay with her litter until she is at least 10-12 weeks old. The four-week-old may need to be bottlefed for now. Do you know what they are eating?

 

[tinydestroyer]

I love Tiki food but young kittens might have trouble with the texture. If you find you need wet kitten food, here are some selections to look through. CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

That's a good point. I didn't even think about that, but I remember that I stuck with wet food formulated for kittens for the first 9months - year. I know the Origen you picked is nutritionally balanced for that, but maybe there's a good wet food as well. I used instinct by natures variety kitten recipe, but it is a pate (so very different texture from tiki cat.) Sometimes, you just gotta do what your cat will actually eat, though!

 

[Sweet Bee]

Looks like you've got the food and litter covered! One thing I didn't think of before bringing my kitten home - and ended up desperately needing at night lol - was kitty butt wipes, for any potential incidents. Also consider some form of dry shampoo for the same purpose. Bitter apple spray immediately stopped my kitten from chewing on cords and is quite cheap on Amazon.

I also made the mistake of purchasing a lot of toys before I figured out what my kitten liked/responded to. If I had to do it again I would get a few things of different "types" e.g. balls, large stuffed kicker toy, small mice, toys that rattle, feathers before buying more.

Oh my goodness THANK YOU. I’ll make sure to order bitter spray right away. I’ve had to clean Ghost a few times now with a warm cloth and toilet paper, he had diarrhea when he first got here. He’s solid now, yay! Wipes and dry shampoo will be great purchases from what I can see lol

 

[Sweet Bee]

I totally agree about trying different types of toys. The balls with feathers that you picked look great, but that kind tends to get lost easily, so maybe try one more kind? A fishing rod type toy is great to keep your hands out of the equation, as kittens tend to treat your hands and feet like playthings if they're in the vicinity. They treat anything like a toy, really: boxes, paper, etc, lol. I think this toy is a really good and safe one for young kittens:
Cat Dancer Cat Charmer Toy

Maybe your pet store has it, or something similar. I'd also get a laser pointer for another type of interactive play, since cats love them!

It looks like you've got excellent choices for food and litter, provided that your cats agree and use them. One of my kittens was abandoned at 4 weeks, and we transitioned her from bottle feeding with KMR to a wet and dry food diet. The vet said it was good to give her the extra calories considering she was underweight at the time. I remember you said Ghost is going in to the vet on Friday, so maybe your vet can advise if they think he's underweight.

The only other suggestion I think is important is to pick out a cat carrier to take them to and from the vet. It's hard to guess at how big they'll be. I ended up getting an inexpensive one at first (which turned out to be too small anyway,) then got a better one once I knew their size and needs.

Also, since they'll be undergoing a lot of change, a Feliway diffuser (which emits comforting pheromones,) might be helpful, if they seem stressed, as well as a couple of soft fleece blankets that they can get their scent on. My cats totally ignore their "beds," but love their blankets. These things might also come in handy when it's time to introduce them to each other. Treats for positive reinforcement go a long way, too!

Thank you for the response!
Ghost is definitely underweight, I can feel all of his ribs and his hip bones are prominent. I googled searched and have been making him a gruel with low-quality wet cat food, along with eye dropper feeding him goat’s milk. I know this isn’t ideal and have ordered a bottle kit and formula from Amazon. I live in a remote area, very far North. Basically everything I buy must be mailed to me. He has to wait for the good stuff, very sad to say. But he’s doing SIGNIFICANTLY better than when he first arrived, so the food and love must be working. I feed him every 2 - 3 hours including at night (I’m exhausted haha).

I never thought to get a cat carrier or the pheromone diffuser - that’s such a fantastic idea. Should I get a carrier big enough for both or two separate carriers?

 

[Sweet Bee]

With a kitten that young I would suggest starting with a non-clumping litter. They tend to eat anything and litter clumping in the tummy is not a good thing.

Wow thank you, I never even considered that. I don’t want them to have any preventable accidents and that sounds very serious.

 

[Sweet Bee]

Sweet Bee , here are some articles to help you along. There are many more here :- Articles | TheCatSite

Bringing Home A New Cat - The Complete Guide
New Cat Checklist: What You Need To Get Before Bringing Kitty Home
First-time Cat Owner's Guide
How Many Litterboxes Should You Have?
What's The Largest Cat Litter Box (and Why Your Cat Needs It)
Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips
9 Tips That Will Help Your Kitten Adapt To A New Apartment
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home
How Much Time Does It Take To Care For A Cat?
Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats
Cats & Lilies: Avoid The Danger Lurking In Your Home
Household Chemicals And Your Cats
52 Reasons Why Cats Must Get Inside Boxes
Choosing The Right Cat Toy For Your Kitten

Tons of reading!!
This is perfect for me, I appreciate the article links. I have a lot to learn and want to do my best for them.

 

[Sweet Bee]

Congratulations on your new family members!

Your kitten with a mom should stay with her litter until she is at least 10-12 weeks old. The four-week-old may need to be bottlefed for now. Do you know what they are eating?

Thank you, I think she will be around 9-10 weeks old. The mother cat was found with the babies, so time of birth is estimated. They are eating Purina Kitten Chow and cooked fish.

Poor Ghost probably should be bottle fed. He sometimes looks for teets in his blankie. It’s very very sad. I give him goats milk in a dropper (not easy) and have been feeding him a mix of the milk with canned food (Friskies Pate). He has proper kitten formula and bottle on it’s way from Amazon. The food won’t be here until next week, as it was meant for Belle. I’m going to see if the vet has good canned food and might get him some of that in the meantime.

 

[Sweet Bee]

That's a good point. I didn't even think about that, but I remember that I stuck with wet food formulated for kittens for the first 9months - year. I know the Origen you picked is nutritionally balanced for that, but maybe there's a good wet food as well. I used instinct by natures variety kitten recipe, but it is a pate (so very different texture from tiki cat.) Sometimes, you just gotta do what your cat will actually eat, though!

I’m going to have to do more research on the canned cat food, I admit I was overwhelmed and picked the best reviewed brand which was Tiki Cat lol. I chose Orijen because I fed my German Shepherd that brand nearly her entire life and she lived to be +13 and had good G.I health, nice coat and poops. I wish they made canned food, lol.

 

[GoldyCat]

You can get KMR (kitten milk replacer) at PetSmart, Petco, or sometimes even Walmart.

 

[Sweet Bee]

Sorry for the ton of replies, I’m a bit excited about all of this. Here’s a pic of Ghost from yesterday and Belle last Friday.

 

[Sweet Bee]

You can get KMR (kitten milk replacer) at PetSmart, Petco, or sometimes even Walmart.

Thank you, I live very far North and live remotely. The closest Walmart is quite a drive and PetsMart even farther. I have to order pretty much everything online. I have a small grocer in my village who only supplies low quality pet food. It sucks!! Thank the powers that be for Amazon Prime!