I AM GETTING MY FIRST KITTY TODAY!!!! ANY TIPS??

don't.

I love animals, why do you say this?

Bear is just being funny ;-)

Congrats on your new kitten :-D

Sounds like you have everything you need, but I like to stress a healthy diet for your kitten. Make sure you only feed him/her KITTEN food. I make sure I get the best quality food for my cat, that doesn't have any bi-products. It's a bit on the expensive side, but your kitty is worth it. I get my cat food at pet shops because the the quality of the food at grocery stores is crap. IAMS isn't bad though, although it is fatty and you could end up with a fat cat on your hands. To save myself a few bucks, I mix the quality cat food with the IAMS, so kitty stays healthy and doesn't get fat. Your kittens diet should be mostly, or all dry cat food. Wet food isn't recommended for kittens, but you can give him/her a tiny bit every day as a treat when he/she gets older. Keep the litter box clean. I like the scoop type litter myself. Keep the toilet seat closed, especially after cleaning it with chemicals. Lots of cats/dogs like to drink out of the toilet and I have a friend who's cat died because of it. I just got in the habbit of keeping the lid shut. Have you taken Kitten to the vet yet? If not, do it ASAP. Kitty needs a check up, most likely deworming pills every few months until he/she is a year, and you'll want him/her fixed when he/she is old enough.

Also, since you're gone all day, I would consider getting another little kitten as a companion for him/her. Animals can get depressed when left alone all day, every day.

I only have one cat, but there's always someone home with her.

cats are not animals...they are the repository for the souls of the damned....

Now now Bear, be nice. Cats are human, just like the rest of us ;-)

Oh great! Another cat person! Don't listen to Bear...

I fully agree with Montana on all she said. And yes, a second cat would be really good so the kitty will not get too lonely.

Be careful with doors and windows. When closing a door be sure the cat is out of the way - especially while it is still a baby. Sometimes they can be really slow in making up their mind.

Will the cat be allowed to go outside after a while or will it be an indoor cat like ours?

Indoor cats live longer, I do believe. Also save on the vet bills...

Oh definitely, D'artagnan. And it's a lot better for my nerves, too. My sister lost two outdoor cats. She now has one cat who goes outside. But she stays mainly in the garden. Still.... I prefer to have them inside.

Get a squirtgun. Supersoakers work well.

Cheaper and much healthier for them to stay indoors. No ear mites, no fleas, no infections. Even if they avoid dogs, cars & cat fights, they'll still live longer as indoor-only cats.

I think you have all the supplies, crazielady...except for a pet hair pick-up roller for your clothes. Buy several.

We used to have indoor/outdoor cats until we lost one to a coyote. Now we only have indoor cats.

We used to have one cat (the one the coyote fed her pups) then we decided to get another cat and couldn't decide between two so we took them both. Never again will we have just one cat. They're just happier with each other around than any other cat we've ever had before. Especially since they have to stay indoors.

I always had one indoor cat until this last time around. Then we got two kittens at the same time (not littermates, but that would be good, too.) They DO keep each other company. I agree with J_B...it's much better this way.

Way to go, Crazielady. By now, you've either developed an enviable sense of humor, or gone totally, um well, crazy.

Difference of opinion with Montana, though. One is enough. Your kitten, natural comedian and athelete that it is, will entertain you all by itself while you are home. When you are away, it will sleep. Sort of recharging its batteries so it can play Thundering Herd of Wildebeast late at night - you bed filling in for the Sarengetti Plains. Seriously, only kittens do just fine, and there is really one rule written in stone. Never ignore your cat.

Yes Roger, but if kitten sleeps all day, what will kitten do all night?

I also agree with the others in saying that house cats are healthier and safer. There's all kinds of stuff that can happen out there. I had very few out door cats and one of them died because a neighbor put chemicals on their lawn to kill beatles. there's also fles, ticks, fights with other cats, worms, other predators, etc, out there.

At night, they play Wildabeast.

Oh, Crazielady, don't expect a young kitten to understand plain, simple speech, either. I baby sat a kitten in my home, and probably due to lack of conversation at home, she didn't understand the simplest of phrases. Like, I said "Get your fuzzy ass off my damn table, cat!" She turned around and looked at me like "Could you possibly be addressing ME in that tone of voice." Not dumb; just takes 'em a while to pick up the language.

LOL!

LOL here too!

Get 2 cats


I agree with Montana's advice. You will have far fewer problems with two cats than one and they will be more content.

BBB