Asked By: bringasmilesara - 7/12/2008

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge your kindness for taking in the little kitten. It is a very huge task but at the end, the reward far outweigh the hard work. You are doing exceptionally well so far, having brought the kitten to the vet to receive the needed medical care. There are a variety of sites on the internet which would be very helpful to you.

http://www.kittencare.com/
http://www.kittenrescue.org/handbook.htm
http://cats.about.com/od/kittencare/Kitten_Care_All_Aspects_of_Kitten_Care.htm
http://us.merial.com/pet_owners/cats/kitten_care.asp
http://www.petstation.com/kittencare.html

Remember to always put the kitten on a wet diet instead of offering dry food. There are many misconceptions out there about feeding dry food to your kitten/cat. Please be aware that feeding dry food is convenient to the owner, but might not be the best for your kitten/cat.

I only feed 100?et. I came to this conclusion after doing my own research and getting to know pets that suffer dire consequences as a result of being fed exclusively dry. These websites has great information if you are interested in learning more about feline nutrition and the proper diet for a cat.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=whycatsneedcannedfood
http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/canned_food.htm
http://cats.about.com/od/catfoo1/tp/tpcannedadult.htm
http://www.catinfo.org/
http://www.naturalmatters.net/article.asp?article=621&cat=11
http://www.traciehotchner.com/cb/QandA.htm

Young kittens are powerhouse when it comes to eating. They have a small stomach and can't eat her whole meal at one or two seating. If you are feeding can, divide her meal into 1/4 of a can each time, 4 times a day. Better yet, if you are at home a lot and have more time, feed less, but more frequently up to 8 times a day.

Also, although many kittens and cats do enjoy drinking cow's milk every now and then, many are lactose intolerant. They do not have the proper enzyme to digest the lactose found in milk. As a result, they develop gas, smelly flatulence and diarrhea.

You can purchase special formulated cat/kitten milk as a treat. Some brands you can try:-

Whiskas Cat Milk
Vitakraft Healthy Milk/Yogurt Snack Drops for Cats
Catsip
Milky Flakes Um Treats for Kittens

You can already start litter trainning her but don't you worry at all. Kittens comes pre-programmed with the know how on using the litter box. All you have to do is show it to them, encourage them to use it and praise them when they did a good job.

To begin, make sure you purchase a litterbox that is suitable for your small kittens. Make sure the sides are low enough so they can easily climb in and out of the box.

I know kittens are active and they run around loose. So, if possible, during litter trainning time, try to confine them to only a few areas of the house. This way, you will be able to properly locate your litterbox and teach the kittens how to use them.

Place them in the litterbox after each mealtime, playtime, naptime. You have to be very consistent. Place them into the box and gently guide their litter paws to scratch the litter. Depending on the kittens, their reaction could be totally different. Some will run away as fast as he could, some will sit and play, flicking litter everywhere, some will even lay down and take a nap! Don't worry about that, those are all very normal. Sooner or later, they will get the idea.

Also, you need to be their p*e/poop patrol guard. :) Be on the look out. Whenever you see the signs of going to p*e/poop, act immediately. Take the kitten away from whichever spot he's at and place him into his litter box. It can really get messy at times but during their trainning period, you have to get down and dirty with them.

You have to clean up urine spot as soon as the area is soiled. Kittens may use the spot again if they can smell it. You can use a variety of cleaners for this job and my favorite is Nature's Miracle. You can get this easily in any pet store.

Actually, this may seem long but it's nothing much to it. Once you show them the litter box location and let them explore it, they will gradually learn to use it.

It's is normal for cats and kittens to bite and scratch. If a cat is frightened or feels threatened, it will naturally try to defend itself. If you touch your cat in a sensitive area, he may bite or scratch as a way of telling you to "quit it." There is a fine line between pleasurable petting and irritating handling. When your cat has had enough, the only way it knows how to say, "stop it," is with its claws or teeth. Cats and kittens will also scratch and bite when they are playing and acting out their hunting instincts.

Teach your cat to enjoy being touched and handled so he doesn't feel threatened, defensive or irritated. Start the lessons when your cat is relaxed. Begin by handling him in ways he finds pleasurable. Scratch behind his ears and stroke the top of his head. Lengthen the strokes to include more of his body. Stroke down his back, down the hind legs and tail. Stroke along the side of his body. See if he will roll onto his side or completely roll over to accept a tummy rub. Use plenty of praise, reassurance and an occasional food treat. Work slowly and gradually increase the area of his body that may be stroked.

Within a very short handling session, you will be able to locate your cat's sensitive spots that will require additional careful attention. Usually these are the mouth, paws, ears and tail. When working with sensitive areas, touch your cat for just one second and immediately reward him with his favorite food treat. Then touch him for two seconds. Gradually increase the time of contact required for a food treat. Your cat will learn to happily tolerate prolonged contact in these areas.

If your cat attacks you in play, entice him to attack when your are prepared with a plant sprayer. A few repetitions of an attack-squirt sequence should convince him to attack his toys instead of you.

Gently take hold of your cat's paw, scratch him behind the ear and give him his treat. Then let go and ignore him for awhile. Repeat this routine several times. Your cat will soon look forward to having his paw held. Carefully try to spread his toes. Continually praise and stroke him with your other hand as long as he appears relaxed. Examine each toe and nail.

Facing your cat, scratch him behind his ear with your fingers, and use your thumb to gently fold back his ear to examine inside. Similarly, when examining his mouth, continue scratching behind the ear and with your thumb, gently flip up his upper lip to expose his teeth.

Work slowly and gently, always rewarding and praising your cat for good behavior.

Cats are predators. Even though you provide your cat with all his meals, his instinct to hunt still exists. It is normal for cats to continually practice and fine-tune their hunting skills. Therefore, it is essential that you provide an outlet for this behavior or your cat will practice on you.

Three fifteen minute play sessions a day will give your cat enough opportunity to vent his energy. Make these sessions active and fun. Tie a toy to a length of string. Drag it in front of your cat, alternating between slow pulls and sudden jerks. Let your cat stalk and play attack his toys instead of you. Read more about rambunctious behavior.

If your cat becomes overly excited, tone down the play session. Do not resume until he has calmed down. If he begins to bite or scratch you, immediately scream "OUCH," stop the play session, walk away and ignore him. Curtailing a play session is an extremely potent punishment. Your cat will soon learn that it is his own rough behavior that causes the abrupt end of an enjoyable play session.

A good investment is a scratching post. This is very important to get for your kitty because you do not want her to learn to scratch your furniture. Scratching is a natural habit and you shouldn't punish her. When you buy a scratching post, make sure it's one that is sturdy and will not tip off easily. All cats love to climb and getting her a nice cat tree of playhouse will allow her to exercise her natural talent without ransacking your house.

You may want to place the kitten in a secured room away from your children in the beginning. Slowly teach your children the proper way to handle your kitten. Your children are still much too young so do not allow them to be alone with your kitten. It is both your the children's and kitten's safety.

Here's an excellent site for you to refer to on how to teach children to bond with pets:-

http://cats.about.com/cs/kidsandcats/a/teachkidrespect.htm

Your children might be a little too young now but this will come in handy and give you an idea how to make it work.

As for the husband, unfortunately, there is no manual on how to make him bond with your kitten, LOL, so you need to take the initiate to teach and educate him. :)

Hope I've helped spread some kitty wisdom to you. Also, please do visit the sites mentioned above if you want to learn more.

Again, thanks for giving the kitten a forever home.

Answered By: tåkë cárê õf mÿ cât - 7/12/2008