Learning how to care for your kitten should not be challenging! It is a small, furry, fast-running creature! LOL They are cute, cuddly, and oh so adorable! It really is not that difficult to care for your new kitten. We introduced Amy at the age of 3 weeks to our senior cat Sara. We had about a week to prepare for her homecoming and since we already had cats already over the years we knew what to expect but maybe you are new to being a “cat-owner” and need a little bit of help with caring for your kitten. Alright, so keep on reading to discover just how easy it is to care for your new little furry family member.
Kittens have sharp teeth and nails that is the truth. So before you bring that little being into your home make sure you have several different scratching posts, a litter box just for him/her and separate food and water dish if you have other pets preferably you can place them out of the reach of the other pets but in an area where the kitten can reach them. Actually, it is best to keep the new kitten in a separate room altogether until you can get all your pets used to each other.
Feeding Bowls
One for food one for water
Make sure they are the right size for a kitten. Easiest to clean is the kind made of stainless steel and you will want to wash your kitten’s bowls on a daily basis. Check the water bowl often if you notice that kitten is playing in it and may splash out most of the water (Amy did this) I finally secured the bowl between the wall and table leg to prevent her from making a small puddle on my kitchen floor.
Litter Box
You may need to get a smaller size litter box for your kitten if you already have a cat. You definitely need a litter box for each cat if you are a multi-cat family. I use the clumping kind of litter for Amy and Sara. It makes cleanup so much easier just scoop and toss into a wastebasket. I use a small plastic bag lined wastebasket to put the soiled litter in. After scooping out the boxes I tie up the bag (I double bag it) and take it out to the garbage can right away!
You will want to clean the litter box daily because all cats HATE the smell of a used litter box. You will also want to wash each litter box out with a mild detergent and warm water on a weekly basis.
Bed
When we first brought Amy home we used a cardboard box with a cut-out side so she could easily get into it and her pink baby blanket for her to stay warm. She loved it and still has the baby blanket 2 years later!
I kept her bed, litter box and bowls in a small room for the first few weeks until she and Sara became friends. Then afterwards I moved the boxes next to each other and the dishes in the kitchen. I bought a bigger cat bed once Amy was too big for the first bed I made her.
Collar
Amy wears a collar but Sara does not. I was able to get Amy used to the collar but we didn’t adopt Sara until she was 8 months old and she was basically a feral cat as the previous owners basically abandoned her at home alone with a Great Dane all day. She did not allow us to touch her at first as she was not used to human touch and later we just never put a collar on her.
If you will be walking your cat outside you will need a leash to attach to the collar.
Grooming
Cats are basically self-groomers. I used a small baby brush for Amy when she was a kitten and a regular cat brush when she got older. Cats don’t require much in the way of grooming. I have never clipped my cats’ nails but some cat owners do.
TOYS
This is very important as you will want to provide plenty of entertainment for your cats especially kittens.
The best toys that we have found for our cats have been cat toys with feathers, empty toilet paper rolls, a clean toothbrush unused, and if you sew cats love to bat around empty wooden thread spools. They also love to play in empty boxes! My daughter bought a cat laser toy and Amy loves it!
DO NOT use string with a cat or kitten as they can choke!
DO NOT use rubber bands or balls of aluminum foil as they will chew it and choke
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