The name that i gave her is Nari, meaning a peal of thunder in japanese i think...she's a tabby and i love her...im a dog person'ish and i don't really know how much care cats really need...any tips???
Answers:
I don't know how old your kitten is, or even if she is a kitten. But don't believe the stuff that cats are so independent they don't need regular attention. If your cat is a kitten, you should check with a vet about how frequently to feed. Really little guys get fed frequently. But a cat six months and older should be fed twice a day, first thing in the morning, and then again in the evening. The ASPCA and some of the hippest experts say that it is important that cats fast between meals, that this releases enzymes that help them digest their food more completely and is healthier for them. If you are around the house all day, this can be hard, because you just want to keep a bowl of dry food for them, and then feed about half Fancy Feast can in the morning and evening. But the experts say no, that you should not keep the bowl of dry food out. Feed about half a small can, with a little water added to it, and then put maybe a fourth to a third cup of dry food down at the same time. Give the cat about half an hour to eat this, and then take up any uneaten food. This avoids obesity and is healthier.
Cats don't drink a lot of water as a general rule, and the more water you can get into them the better. This keeps their kidneys flushed and their urine less concentrated. So add a little extra water to their wet food, not until it's soupy, but just softened. Cats prefer to drink running water, and especially in the summer, I used to put a bowl in the sink under the faucet, then leave the cold water on just to drip. This would fill the bowl and gently overflow it with really cold water, and the cat loved this. Other people do the same. Many use filtered water. Even when I did this, though, I would leave a big bowl of water out on the floor as well.
You need to know cat language, too. Eye contact with staring is a challenge; averted eyes mean submission. Tail up like a flag is a greeting. Rubbing the top of the head on the floor with chin or chin and belly up is submission and even and invitation to be petted. Bumping your hand with the head is an invitation to be petted or a request for attention.
Keep your cat's claws trimmed. Once every ten days is what the books recommend. But I was a chicken about clipping too close. I would just sit him on my lap in an upright position, seated, with his backbone against my belly, and I would clip just the sharp points off his claws. You have to express the claws from the tip of the paws. Cats can be touchy about this at first because those claws are their defense. But when I was petting my boy, I used to caress his paws and sort of massage the entire little hand. It is a very complex and fascinating thing, and when the paw is relaxed, you can actually put the entire tip of your finger right into the little palm of the paw. Some kittens actually eat their food this way, filling the palm with food, then eating out of the palm, rather than eating out of the bowl. If your cat will let you sort of massage and explore his really interesting paws, then he will let you express the claws, and he will learn you mean no harm. Of course the first time you trim the claws, he may object. But those claws if not trimmed become painful and inconvenient for an indoor cat, and they appreciate your doing the trimming after the first time. Just use the same toenail clipper you use for yourself, or else buy the special clippers they sell at Petco or Petsmart.
Cats with trimmed claws cannot rip up your furniture, because you have taken the sharp points off their claws, and if they are playing with you, they won't scratch you as easily either.
You will need to get a good scratching post. A good scratching post is not a pretty scratching post. It is one that is covered in jute or a coarse, fibrous material that the cat's claws will stick in. What we call sharpening their claws is not sharpening their claws at all. Cats do that "claw sharpening" to loosen the cuticles at the base of the claw, because the claw is growing at such a rate, the cuticle creates a kind of tight sensation that becomes uncomfortable. So the scratching post has to be made of a material that offers resistance to the claws. The more scratching posts you can have, the better. I kept one real "post" scratching post, and then bought those cheaper cardboard scratching posts, and hung them over doorknobs in every room and rubbed a little catnip into them. That way there was something to scratch on in every room, and the furniture never got shredded. I guess I should add that cats also do that little scratching thing when they are excited and happy or frustrated.
Cats sweat through their paws. Dogs pant. Cats pant when they are really too hot. But if you want to know if they are overheated, feel their paws. In summer, if you don't have air conditioning, do be sure and leave that bowl of water under the faucet. And if your cat gets overheated, starts panting or acts a little loggy, just dip her in a sinkful of water, blot the excess water off her, and let her air dry. The evaporation will cool her.
Contrary to the stereotypes, cats get lonely, very much so. If your cat is just a kitten and you are gone for long periods each day, you really should consider getting your baby another kitten. Some larger cats are set in their ways and like to be your one and only. Others not so. You have to play this by ear.
Be sure to have your cat neutered or spayed, no matter how objectionable this may seem to you. It is much, much better for your animal, and gives them a longer life expectancy. Another thing that affects life expectancy is whether you keep your cat indoors or not. Indoor cats have a life expectancy of 15 years or more. Outdoor cats have a life expectancy of 4-5 years. Big difference. But if you are going to let your cat roam, be sure you get all the shots, especially for feline leukemia. Always be sure to get the annual checkup and shots. And have the teeth checked, and if possible, cleaned.
The better quality food you feed your cat, greater her life expectancy. Don't buy grocery store house brands. Check for ingredients. If the first ingredient on your dry food is corn or any grain, it's not very good. The first ingredient should be meat: chicken, lamb. Check your wet food for the phrase "meat by-products", which is stuff like eyeballs and tumors. It is actually kind of hard to do, but try to feed only wet foods with identifiable meat like chicken or fish or lamb as a first ingredient and meat by-products way down on the list of ingredients. Some people have suggested that meat by-products can actually cause or transmit some diseases or cause cancer.
That's all I can think of right now. I did a lot of reading when I had my boy. Just enjoy your sweetie pie. Love her and she will give the same back to you. Cats are very loving and very, very loyal. I list a couple of the best books I read below, and I really do recommend checking them out of the library, buying them or spending an afternoon at Barnes %26 Noble reading.
first u feed it 3 times a day lik an ordinary juman.. if u want to take care of it, first you gotta give it toys to play with and make sure it gets a good excercise... cuz do u want a fat kitty?? no
then give it a nice warm and soft bed or sofa to sleep in.. and makesure to give it lots of love!
it's like a newborn baby,feed it when ur kitty asks for it as many times as needed i would just feed her/him # of times a day giving him smaller amounts of food rather than couple times a day giving him big meal it's easier on their barely developing stomach, and don't try to play with ur little one let him/her sleep more to gain strengh
Kittens do best eating small amounts over the day. Maybe 3-4 small meals, let her know where her food bowl is and keep a small meal there. Your Kitten will know when she is hungry,
Dont use your hands or feet. That will teach her to bite. Instead use a long plastic pole with something fluffy on the end to get her attention. She will also know when she has had enough play and will sleep. Try and have her sleep less during the day otherwise she will be wanting to play all night when it's sleep time.
If she starts to scratch the furniture. Pick her up and take her to her scratching pole and show her that is where she needs to scratch. Just like potty training her.
Dog cares for their master. Cat don't seems to care. But they are lovely and not messy, i remember my kitty, i feed them 3 times, when he was still drinking milk, but when he begans to take solid food, i feed them twice, one in the morning, and one in the evening.
Well ya, it depends on the age, but I can reccomend a really good web site, and it would be a good idea to take kitten to the vet ASAP to get a physical and ask any burning Q's u may have..
good luck!!
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