Just got a 6-week old kitten....

Question

I have never had a kitten before, so I could use some advice on raising it.

My first concern is getting it dewormed and having its first set of shots? Are these things that I have to take it to the vet for (and how much can I anticipate this costing?) Do you recommend that I get the cat declawed and/or spayed, and if so, at what age?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Answer 1

First off, why do you have such a young kitten? She should not have been taken from mom before eight weeks of age.

You definitely should take her to the vet to be dewormed and vaccinated, yes. You should also definitely have her spayed as it will be much better for her health (the vet will tell you what age he's comfortable spaying her at).

DO NOT DECLAW HER. Do you realize what goes into declawing? It's not a simple removal of the claws but a full blown amputation of healthy toes. Declawing a cat means removing the entire first joint/bone of each toe. It'd be like cutting our fingers off at the first knuckle. Declawing causes extreme pain to the cat and often problems down the line (litter box issues from associating the litter box with pain after surgery, personality changes/biting/and skittishness from having their first line of defense removed, arthritis from having to learn a new way of carrying their weight etc.).

Declawing has no benefits to the cat, only the owner. There are numerous alternatives including scratching posts and surfaces, sticky tape, deterrent sprays, Soft Paws nail caps, and nail trimming. Please read more on this awful procedure before you consider it:

http://www.declawing.com/

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac...

http://www.softpaws.com/

Now for feeding advice. Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to dump cheap leftovers in. Will it kill your cat? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent cat foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Whiskas, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Meow Mix.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Felidae, Fromm, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature's Variety, Nature's Logic.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you're getting what you're paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients... this means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less p**p!

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Diets high in grain have been attributed to problems with diabetes in cats. Cats are obligate carnivores, so why should there be grain in their diet? Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diet's include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature's Variety Instinct, Orijen, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now!, and Sold Gold Indigo Moon.

Some of the high end foods can be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness and Solid Gold. If you can't find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Remember that foods should be switched gradually, especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding cats is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:

http://www.barfworld.com/

http://www.rawfedcats.org/

http://www.rawfed.com/

http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawm...

Now the question is, do you feed wet or dry? Wet is the correct answer. The reason is, in the wild, cats normally get most of their water content directly from their prey items and drink very little. Domestic cats are no different, and because of the fact that they are designed to take in water with their meal, they have a very low thirst drive. Cats often just don't drink enough. This leads to urinary tract infections and crystals. The bit about dry food being better for teeth is a myth and has not been proven in the least. Canned/wet food is better because it more closely mimics the cat's natural diet. More on why canned food is best:

http://www.catinfo.org/  (Excellent cat nutrition information by a vet)

http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/canne...

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac...

Another option to get cats to drink more would be a cat fountain. Cats tend to like to drink from running water and cat fountains see to that need, encouraging cats to take in more water.

More:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_... (Dog food reviews. It's for dogs, but most of the high quality brands also put out excellent cat foods. Anything with five or six stars is a great food.)

I also highly recommend keeping her as an indoor only cat.  It'll be much healthier for your cat to be indoors where it's safe from poisons, loose dogs, other cats, cars, malicious people... and so on (the list of dangers is quite long). Indoor cats live much longer, healthier lives than outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats and it's very possible to have a happy, well entertained indoor cat. Read more on why indoor is better as well as how to make a safe outdoor enclosure for indoor cats:

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac...

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/point...

http://home.hiwaay.net/~keiper/indoors.h...

http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldenc...

http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/catrun...

Answer 2

It is really too young to separate a 6 week old from her mother and littermates. However, since you already have her at home, the best thing you can do is read more about how to be a caring and responsible pet parent. 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/Kitt...

http://us.merial.com/pet_owners/cats/kit...

http://www.petstation.com/kittencare.htm...

She should already be weaned so if possible, 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.

You can start now by mixing her wet food with water to make a gruel. Then, encourage her to lap on the food dish. If she is unable to lap or does not know what to do, dip one finger into the gruel and gently place it on her lips. She will l**k it and might just find it palatable. Slowly move your finger into the dish as she sniff it. Gently dip your finger into the dish and allow her to lap on the dish. It takes some time but she will get the idea.

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. Make sure to place her in her litter pan after each meal, playtime, naptime. She might play in the box, refuse to stay inside and run away. Don't worry though because your little kitten is born with the instinct to use the litter box. With patience and in time, she will know what to do. Just be consistent in her trainning.

Here's the suggested kitten vaccination shots:-

6-8 weeks

FVRCP vaccination No. I

(Feline viral rhinotracheitis, calici virus, panleukoenia, chlamydia)

Fecal examination

Blood test for Feline Leukemia virus (FelLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency virus (FIV)

12 weeks

FVRCP vaccination No. 2

FeLV vaccination No. I

Possible second fecal exam

16 Weeks

FeLV vaccination No. 2

Rabies vaccination

Pets should be vaccinated annually for most vaccines, after the initial booster series is administered to kittens. Some vaccines can be boostered every three (3) years. Remember that vaccines stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies to fight off viruses. Boosters must be given for the immune system to make long-term protection, antibodies that stay around for long periods of time.

Please note: If a pet has never received a vaccine before, and is over 16 weeks old, it will need one additional dose in 3 to 4 weeks before starting on the annual or triennial schedule.

An annual visit to your veterinarian provides an opportunity for a routine health check as well as any re-vaccinations that are necessary. If, for any reason, your pet misses a vaccination which has been advised by your veterinary practice, contact them for advice as soon as possible.

Declawing should never be an option. It is a very traumatic surgery that does not benefit the cat in any form or way. Visit this site foe the truth about declawing:-

http://maxshouse.com/Truth%20About%20Dec...

http://www.declawing.com/htmls/declawing...

http://community-2.webtv.net/stopdeclaw/...

If you need to protect your furniture, train the kitten to use a scratching post. Scratching is a natural habit and you shouldn't punish er. 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 also want to look into a sofy vinyl nail caps called Soft Paws, available at most pet stores. You just have to glue the nail caps over your cat's nails and it will help protect your cat from hurting you or your furniture while scratching. Regular nail clipping is also a very good habit.

You can already get your kitten neutered at about 8 weeks of age. Traditional vet might want to wait until the kitten reaches 6 months old. However, early spay and neuter, done at about 8 weeks or when the kitten weighs at least 2lbs does not pose any risk or any developmental problems. If your kitten is a girl, you have to get her spayed before her first heat to decrease the risk of mammary cancer by 91 percent! And if you neuter a boy before sexual maturity, the risk of him spaying will also be decreased. That is the reason why I am a proponent of early spay/neuter. Speak to your vet for the best advice.

Hope I've provided enough info for you. Good Luck with your small kitten!

Answer 3

I would find a local vet or two and get estimates. These are things you need to get done at a vet.All vets charge different. I would never get a cat declawed. I think it is mean and cruel and can be life threatining if the cat gets outside as this is what they use for their defense. You can train her at early age not to scratch up furniture.Yes get it spayed for sure. Usually about 6 months of age they will neuter. Time patience and love are the best things to offer a new kitten and many toys. Get a scratch post early on and place a little cat nip on it and watch her go for it. She will learn this is her place to dig her claws into. Good luck with kitty. :)

Answer 4

Spaying YES.  Declawing NO.  I won't go into detail on the declawing as it has already been covered excellently by the other two, as has spaying.

I suggest simply calling your vet for advice on the worming and shots.  Obviously it should be seen at some point for a wellness check and at that time the vet can do whatever needs doing.

General tips:

Feed kitty properly from the beginning.  This will build a solid foundation for good health.

Take good care of its teeth.  The sooner you start brushing the better.

Keep it inside at all times (unless you have an area outside that's very secure and you can supervise).  Instead let him have access to open windows that he can lay in front of.

Yearly wellness checks at the vet will help keep on top of any budding problems.

Regular grooming can be a bonding experience for both of you and will help prevent hairballs.

Watch out for signs of pica, which is basically eating unusual things.  I have a string eater, and that's very bad.  Supervise your kitty's play around anything stringy, and at the first sign of nibbling separate the two.  And after that you might have to be careful about anything stringy left laying around.

Take kitty for drives so it doesn't associate it with unpleasant things like going to the vet.

If you don't have a vet yet, start checking the yellow pages.  It may be advantageous to find one nearby but that's not always the way to go.  Quality of care is much more important.  If you can afford it, consider a holistic vet.  Most of them are much more informed about proper diet and they typically do not do unnecessary vax'ing.