Questions from a new kitty mommy!

waddle

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Hi everyone--glad to have found these forums. I actually have not brought any kittens home yet--I will be going to look at some tomorrow. I've been reading a lot of sites and forums and have some questions that I still haven't really found an answer to. I would greatly appreciate any advice you have to offer! These will be my first kitties and I want to be the best mom possible.

The litter I am going to look at is 8 weeks old in two days. Is this too young to bring them home? When I talked to the foster mom she sounded a little concerned at first, and I told her I didn't necessarily expect to nor did I in any way feel I needed to take them NOW, but then she said oh no, they should be fine, they're healthy and eating well, etc. But then I saw someone posting that they were concerned about adopting them out at 11 weeks. Should I ask her to keep them with their mom a little longer?

Do you think it would be better for me to get one of each sex rather than two males? There is only one female in the litter.

Should I have two carriers or is one OK? (at least until they get bigger) Soft sided is probably best? Should they have separate beds? Since they are littermates I'm thinking they might prefer to stick together but who knows!

I haven't seen a lot of discussion about the various types of litter, but I would like to try the Littersweep. Are these kittens still too young for clumping litter? How old should they be before I can use clumping? How often should I expect them to use the litter box?

When I bring them home, should I keep them in one room at first and gradually introduce them to the rest of the house, or will they do OK with free reign from the get-go? (The only other pets I have are fish in a 10-gallon tank.) Should I leave them ALONE at first, rather than trying to hold them and pet them? Are they likely to do fine with stairs?

Kitten-proofing--any specific items besides string that I need to be sure to keep out of reach? Will they get into potpourri, candy in open dishes, the rocks in my candle garden? Worried they might eat and choke on this stuff. Which household plants are dangerous for them? I think I read ivy is--should I throw my ivy plant away? I also have a begonia and one other green plant that is unidentified. Are they likely to get into trouble with electrical cords? I don't know how I could keep them out of reach.

Can the food and water dishes be in the same room with the litterbox? I have two bathrooms (on different floors) where I will put a litterbox. There isn't really room in my kitchen for food dishes so I was hoping it would be ok to just put those in the opposite corner in the bathroom. If not, I can put them somewhere in the living room.

What people food is good or especially bad for them? I should probably not give them any people food? Are the treats I've seen at Petco OK for occasional use?

Thanks so much for your help!
 

elizwithcat

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I got mine at ten weeks, and he was a big kitten, so, if the foster mother is willing to care for them for a couple more weeks that should be good, I think. As you have no experience in raising kittens the bigger they are, the better. As for food, what is the foster mother feeding them? At least in the beginning, you should probably feed the same. I use world's best cat litter, it's clamping and made out of corn, so it would be safe for the kittens.
 

laurelism

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Originally Posted by Waddle

Is this too young to bring them home? Should I ask her to keep them with their mom a little longer?

Do you think it would be better for me to get one of each sex rather than two males? There is only one female in the litter.

Should I have two carriers or is one OK? (at least until they get bigger) Soft sided is probably best? Should they have separate beds?

Are these kittens still too young for clumping litter? How old should they be before I can use clumping? How often should I expect them to use the litter box?

When I bring them home, should I keep them in one room at first and gradually introduce them to the rest of the house, or will they do OK with free reign from the get-go? (The only other pets I have are fish in a 10-gallon tank.) Should I leave them ALONE at first, rather than trying to hold them and pet them? Are they likely to do fine with stairs?

Kitten-proofing--any specific items besides string that I need to be sure to keep out of reach? Will they get into potpourri, candy in open dishes, the rocks in my candle garden? Worried they might eat and choke on this stuff. Which household plants are dangerous for them? I think I read ivy is--should I throw my ivy plant away? I also have a begonia and one other green plant that is unidentified. Are they likely to get into trouble with electrical cords? I don't know how I could keep them out of reach.

Can the food and water dishes be in the same room with the litterbox? I have two bathrooms (on different floors) where I will put a litterbox. There isn't really room in my kitchen for food dishes so I was hoping it would be ok to just put those in the opposite corner in the bathroom. If not, I can put them somewhere in the living room.

What people food is good or especially bad for them? I should probably not give them any people food? Are the treats I've seen at Petco OK for occasional use?

Thanks so much for your help!
Alright, let me try to tackle these one at a time
First of all, many kittens leave their mums at about 8 weeks, though most breeders keep them until they are 11 or 12 weeks of age. You can have the woman keep them longer if you want her to.

If you are getting two, definetly get one of each and have them spayed and neutered!!! Two males will fight and terratorialize constantly. One carrier should be fine for now, since their siblings and have been together like this for the past 8 weeks; a little while more won't do any harm. Soft-sided is fine. I would start with one bed to see what they like. If one is on the bed and another is sleeping somewhere else, that means you should probably get two.

You can get them clumping litter (I'm sure the woman has already introduced them to it) and if for some reason she hasn't, just make sure they don't try to eat the litter you put out. If they do, try something paper or wood based instead of clay or gravel. They should use the litterbox a few times a day... there isn't really a 'normal' amount for any one cat. Just watch and make sure they are going, and it should be fine. Make sure there is no diahrrea, or blood in the pee or poo either. These indicate problems with the cat.

Since you have no other pets, I think they would be okay to have a free run of your house... put them in a room with the door closed at first, and stay there with them (no holding or petting; you can pet IF one comes up to you, but only then) and just let them explore the one room. Then, when they seem to be adequately introduced (walking around, investigating, straying away from the carrier) you can open the door and allow them to explore the rest of your house. Leave them alone for the most part until they seem to be getting used to the new surroundings. They should be able to manage the stairs easily.

Know that kittens will get into anything and everything, so cords, dishes, rocks, anything is fair game to them. Just be extremely watchful, and maybe lock them up when you'll be gone for longer periods of time until they know which things are ok to play with and which are not. Other plants that are poisonus are poinsetta's and baby's breath. I also believe ivy is poisonus, so I would keep it out of reach or get rid of it.

Food and water dishes can be in the same area, as long as they aren't too close. I'm sure you souldn't find eating near your toilets all too pleasurable either, and the same goes for cats. As long as they aren't right up next to the litterboxes it should be ok. As for food, people food is fine! Cats love a little treat, my cats personally like PopTarts and Cheetos. Though these shouldn't be fed to them often, its ok once in awhile. Other people food, like meats (bones removed!!!) are fine, and you can feed them it more often. Cats are naturally somewhat carniverous. Some bad food for cats are onions or garlic... I'm very sorry but I can't remember which, so it would probably be good to keep both away from them. Bones should never be given to cats, and don't feed them too much milk; most cats are lactose intolerant. The treats at PetCo are fabulous, especially ones that have multi-purposes of being treats and helping with things like furballs, teeth, and promoting healthy skin and fur. I hope some of this helps, good luck with the new arrivals!!!
Laurel
 

elizwithcat

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Two males dont' always fight if they are both neutered. I got two males and they adore each other and are grooming each other even now as I type.
 

sandtigress

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I'm getting two males as well, and both will be neutered, so fighting should be kept to a minimum. Since these guys are siblings alread, I think getting two boys would be just fine as long as you neuter them both. I say just pick the two who you bond with! You would be surprised - I went in thinking I was going to buy a female, and ended up with two boys! You can try buying some bitter apple spray at your local pet store to try and discourage chewing on electrical cords. People food isn't usually the best idea, and definately keep chocolate out of their reach - its really dangerous for them. Best of luck with your new kitties!
 

royalenchntrss

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:yeahthat: My two dont fight all the time.. just when shadow is tired and fin still wants to play... other than that theyre great together
You may want to wait to get them a few more weeks.. We got shadow at 8 weeks from the humane society and we ended up dropper feeding him for about a week.. But I dont know if thats because he was so young or if it was from him being sick with kennel cough... With never having a cat before though I wouldnt want you to bring them home and have to deal with something like that! I loved having him that young though because theyre so darn cute and curious! You do have to watch them like hawks though because they will get into EVERYTHING that they can! I hope you have a cover over your fish! lol Finnegan is almost a year old and he still tries to get at my betta. we had to cover it since he'd come out of my room with wet paws!

Onions are bad for cats... ive never heard about garlic being bad but you might want to google that just in case.


good luck and we're always here to answer more questions!
 

arlyn

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I have 3 males, 3 females, my males seem much more accepting of other cats than my females, but every one of them get along just fine.

Get what ever gender combination you want, or whichever two pick you, just be sure to get them fixed as soon as possible.
 

charcoal

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I agree get whatever combo of kitties you want. Since they are from the same litter they will get along much better than two males who are not. They will be happy and loveable.
 

lucius&cissa

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My suggestion is to keep them in one room for at least a few days. My only reason is that I could never find them, they would hide and explore, and this just calmed my nerves.

As far as holding and playing with them, that's really up to them. Just sit on the floor in the room, watch tv, read a book....and let them come to you.

Mine were 3 and 4 months when I got them, and I was scared to death of something so little, and then they ended up with every last little problem, from coccidia and tapeworms, to food problems and upper respiratory infection. It was hard, and very scary. Find a cat vet nearby, maybe go and talk to them before even bringing your kitties home. You have to feel good about the place you will use. I felt comfortable from the start with the cat vet I use.

Think about how you will pay for these services because they aren't cheap. Start planning to save extra money, look into insurance, just be prepared, because I went through a lot of stuff at first.

But they are just so much fun, and getting closer to a year old now.
 
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waddle

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Thanks everyone for the advice. Kitties came home today. They didn't even whine TOO much on the car ride home. They're still hiding in the corner in "their" bathroom right now. Will post pics and introduce us in the new members section when they decide to venture out. I did end up getting two boys.

Please keep the advice coming...I want to treat them the best I can!

The fish SHOULD be safe, but I already know I should never underestimate a cat!!
 
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