Raising a Kitten

[Kalei]

Well since this is my first time really owning a kitten and such a young one at that. I would like to start my thread for all the help I can get. I know a bit of how to raise a kitten, its not rocket science for sure lol. But my main question right now is that he was still suckling milk from his mother when I had to take him but he was also eating solid food and drinking water. So of course he is still once and awhile going to Bobo and trying to get milk from him.

Should I give him a little bit of warmed up catmilk for awhile? If so how much and when should I stop?

Thanks so much for the help everyone!

[catmandu]

I Always Think Of A Kitten In Terms Of The San Fransico Ad For Adopting Them Out.
They Show A Tiny Kitten And Then The Copy Reads A Do It Yourself Cat Kit.
Just Add Food And Love And Watch Them Grow Into A Loving Friend.
The Only Thing To Watch Out For In Kittens Is That They Are Impulsive And Run Under Your Feet, Out Doors And Dont Know Not To Pull Things Crashing Down On Them.
Other That That A Quality Kitten Food A Clean Litter Box And The Most Important Ingredient Of Them All Will See Your Kitten Through.
Love.

[K & L]

Here's a couple informative links that may help you with any questions:

http://www.catchow.com/home_milestones_kc.aspx?CMP=KNC-KC-Goog-KittenSearch&HBX_OU=50&HBX_PK=raising+kittens

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/kittens2.html

Good luck with this and I'm sure you'll have many fun/rewarding moments!

[Randi]

I don't know much about raising a kitten, but I've heard that it's not a good idea to take a kitten before they're at least 10 weeks old, preferably 12 weeks. They get some very important nutrition from their mom which gives them a stronger immune system, and they also learn a lot from her in this period. However, it can sometimes, for various reasons, be neccesary to take the kitten away from her.

The links KL posted seem to have a lot of good info, so I' sure you'll manage. :)

Good luck!

[Bengalz]

I'm certainly not a master at raising kittens and believe there are many here who can advise you well ... as in K&L's post. My formula for furry babies has always been:

- Provide them with the best nutrition and vet care you can
- Interact and play with them as much as you can; it's very stimulating and they learn new things quickly, as well as learn to trust you as their friend
- Respect them as you would like to be respected yourself and LOVE them .... always :)

Your baby boy is so precious - he deserves nothing but the best :D

Have fun, Betty

[Medusa]

I've had my Puddy since she was 5 weeks old; she was rejected by her mother, due to birth defects and her family was going to have her pts. So I got her and it was the best thing I ever did! My vet warned me from the get go to keep her away from male cats because sometimes they will kill kittens. My Boo was/is such a pussy, pun intended, that he would never hurt her. But I didn't take any chances. So I had to keep her isolated for 6 weeks. And it's good to do that anyhow in case she has any communicable diseases. My vet also had me feed her Gerber's baby food, chicken to be exact, and cooked macaroni that she could chow down, no hard, crunchy food for a while. Puddy's had her health issues, that's for sure, but she's 12 now and still hangin' in there. Good luck w/your new furbaby.

[Kalei]

I've had my Puddy since she was 5 weeks old; she was rejected by her mother, due to birth defects and her family was going to have her pts. So I got her and it was the best thing I ever did! My vet warned me from the get go to keep her away from male cats because sometimes they will kill kittens. My Boo was/is such a pussy, pun intended, that he would never hurt her. But I didn't take any chances. So I had to keep her isolated for 6 weeks. And it's good to do that anyhow in case she has any communicable diseases. My vet also had me feed her Gerber's baby food, chicken to be exact, and cooked macaroni that she could chow down, no hard, crunchy food for a while. Puddy's had her health issues, that's for sure, but she's 12 now and still hangin' in there. Good luck w/your new furbaby.

aw thanks so much everyone! And those links to the sites helped alot:) And I am definately making sure she knows, yes turns out its a she!!! I'm making sure to give her all my love, today I'm doing nothing but being with her and handling her and playing with her, and I am also getting her use to a car so that she will always like the car and not hate it. (my friend took her kitten with her in the car everywhere and now it absolutely loves cars! Today she was sitting on my shoulder while I was driving and she would look ahead out the window just like I was, it was very cute, and she loved the ride with me:)

But of course now she is all tuckered out and sleeping on a pillow on my lap hehe.

Medusa, its so great to hear that, I'm so glad that you were around to help and save this little helpless kitten. You gave that kitty a happy long life and I bet she knows that and loves you sooo much:D

[Medusa]

Oh yeah, the Pudster knows she's loved alright. She's Queen around here. You're going to have so much fun and be so loved in return. Get ready for the love fest! Oh, one more thing, if I may be so bold as to suggest to keep her away from dogs while she's still so tiny. Just recently here on PT, a terrible accident occurred where a dog killed someone's tiny kitten. Her mom felt so awful about it because her own dogs are good w/cats but this dog belonged to someone else. We just never know. Don't want to frighten you, just want you to have a long time w/your new furbaby. Enjoy each other!

[Kalei]

Thanks so much for letting me know. I never let our cats out of the house so there's not too much worry about that. They are 100% indoor, never go outside kitties. The only time they are out is if I take them out on a leash, so when I do that I will be careful to look around for any dogs that might be out too.

We have a dog in the house, she's just as small as a siamese cat and she has been with our other two cats for years. She is actually scared of the kitten lol, she's such a weird dog. But I watch my little girl while she is around the dog in the house too, cause you never know, if the dog is scared of her, then she could even get scared enough to go after her.