This week is the backwards WFMW – I get to collect all your tips, muhahaha!
I sooooo want to get a couple of kittens – I have been wanting a pet for years, and I’ve decided that two little kittens to be with me for the next 20 years or so is just perfect 
! However, my family has always had dogs, so I am just now learning all the things about cat ownership (AJ has two kittens).
I want all your tips – feeding, training, litter boxes, toys, love . . . anything you think a new cat owner should know! I am hoping to get my little babies at some point in the near future, and I want to be as prepared as possible! Got any cat tips? Let me know what works for you!
And don’t forget to take a look at my post about Breast Cancer Awareness!
I'm Lindsey, and thanks so much for stopping by Suspension of Disbelief.
Two cats is a good number, to keep each other company when you’re gone. Just try to get them near the same time so they like each other.
Get lots of scratching posts and douse it with cat nip so they learn to love them.
Plan on vacumming a lot to pick up their hair.
We use ScoopFresh kitty litter and it works well.
Cat toys are fun but kittens will play with pretty much anything around the house. Our cats LOVED the lids off of gallon milk jugs.
1. Feed a good-quality cat food. Do not get frugal on their food. Cheap cat food is like feeding a child McDonalds every day.
2. Clean the litterbox daily, and change the litter out weekly. Cats like things to be very clean. The type of cat litter is totally up to you (and your cats if they’re picky). We used to use a clumping litter, but it was way too dusty for my liking. We now use pine litter, which is fabulous. It’s more expensive, but it solved a behavior problem we were having with one of our cats, it’s not dusty, and it is flushable and environmentally safe. A hooded litterbox is a nice thing for the humans in the house, and it gives kitty a little extra privacy.
3. Have lots of toys, especially if you get kittens. They play like mad when they’re young. Getting 2 together is great because they can entertain each other when you’re away. Interactive toys (one with you at the other end of it) are wonderful. None of this has to be expensive. Cats are happy with boxes and string.
4. If you get kittens, keep in mind that having kittens is a lot like having a toddler in the house. They are into EVERYTHING and have to be watched to make sure they don’t destroy things. You have to kitten-proof a house, much like baby-proofing.
5. Get a scratching post. In fact, get two. If they have alternatives to your furniture and carpets, you’ll all be happy.
6. Some people use a squirt bottle to train their cats. One of our cats is not very smart, and he didn’t understand the squirt bottle at all. We discovered that a bicycle horn is a great discipline tool. Cats hate loud noises, so a honk on the horn makes them stop what they’re doing. Two honks and our kitten was trained not to climb or mess with the Christmas tree. And 8 years later, he still hasn’t forgotten it!
7. Should kitty have an accident (or an “on-purpose”) outside of the litterbox, Nature’s Miracle is a fabulous product for removing the horrible odor/stains. You can buy it at pet supply stores.
8. Petromalt or some other equivalent is a great product for helping kitties with hairballs. It comes in a toothpaste-like tube. If kitty starts throwing up a bit, it’s probably a hairball problem, so a little Petromalt usually helps. Oh, make sure you have a good carpet cleaner. When it’s hairball (shedding) season, they puke a lot.
9. Some cats get acne from plastic. (One of mine does.) Just as a precaution, I recommend buying non-plastic food bowls. But that’s not a necessity, unless one of your cats starts to break out. (It looks like little abcesses on the chin.)
We had out precious kitty for nearly 20 years! She was a wonderful pet! So many memories! Anyway, one thing I wish we had for her was this water bowl that has a running stream of water that circulates through the bowl like a kitty drinking fountain. I know it really gets them drinking more water and that is really important for cat health. They were pretty pricey at the time, but now they are more common and affordable. In the long run it is a wonderful thing to have.
Lindsey –
1. Keep the litter box as pristine as possible to avoid accidents elsewhere in the house. Cats love a clean box.
2. Keep scratching posts around and encourage their use. Saves your furniture.
3. Kitty-proof your house ahead of time. Cats don’t mix with some things, like shiny ribbons, twist ties, pipe cleaners, toys with feathers on them, and the like.
4. For toys, don’t go nuts. They do just as well playing with a sock or a big foil ball as they do with expensive toys.
5. Cats are difficult to train. Their brains aren’t wired like a dog’s. But we’ve had success teaching the word “No” early on. It doesn’t work as well with older cats (at least not for us).
That’s all I can think of this early in the morning! Good luck and wishing you years of kitty/cat fun!
Aww I love kitties! I actually have a whole blog dedicated to kitty (& dog) stuff.
Two is a great number. After having two, I would not go back to having just one. I had 2 females once and they were very cuddly with each other. Now I have a male and a female, and they just kind of ignore each other. So, I’d recommend getting two females.
Don’t play rough with them while they’re kittens, or they’ll grow up to be a little on the mean side. Clip their claws with nail clippers (don’t declaw them!). I taught mine to scratch the carpet instead of furniture, and that seemed to work okay.
Don’t get your cats from a pet store. Find one that needs a home – there are lots of shelters and pet rescue groups out there (depending on where you live), and I’m sure you’ll be able to find kittens.
The absolute best cat care guide I’ve found is published by the Humane Society called Complete Guide to Cat Care. If you can find it at your local library, then great! I actually went out and bought it after getting it from the library because I thought it would be a good resource.
Not every cat reacts to catnip. My cats don’t. So, don’t go crazy with catnip stuff until you know whether or not they go for it. I got some catnip spray for the scratching post and that was a waste of money!
Good luck!
Oh I love kitties! We have 4 cats now and I had one for 18 years when I was growing up. Other people have given you some great advice already so I won’t repeat it only say that each cat has it’s own unique personality and you are going to love them
cats can be very independant but they almost always want lots of love from you. Getting two is a great idea. I will never just have one kitten again. they love to play and entertain eachother and sometimes they get eachother in trouble but it’s lots of fun.
If you have to litter train them, this can seem scary but they almost always know what to do. I’ve trained many a kitten. All you do is have the clean box ready for them. A few minutes after they eat (which is often when they are little) put them in the litter box and take their little paws and teach them to scratch and dig in there. they’ll instinctivly know what to do rather quickly. I was surprised at how easily this came. Not to say there won’t be accidents becuase there might be but I bet they’ll catch on quickly.
Cats should be spayed or nuetered around 6 months of age (I’m channelling Bob Barker here but it really is best for thier health) and if they are outdoor kitties, make sure they have their vaccinations up to date to keep them safe.
Ok, I think I’m done
I’m excited for you! It’s going to be fun!
Our cats have always been inside cats. The life expectancy for outdoor cats is about half what it is for indoor cats.
Be sure that whenever you indicate to your cat that you want it to come to you, always reward it in some way. The reward doesn’t have to be food, it can be your undivided attention for a 30 second ear scratch. It also helps to make a point of giving the cat some attention when it comes over on its own. Once the cat realizes that it always gets positive attention when it comes to you, it will come when you call.
Keep the litter box clean…for your health and for the cats.
Don’t give them canned food. It’s not the best for their dental hygiene.
Don’t de-claw them. None of my cats has ever torn up my furniture. Cats can be trained not to scratch on the furniture. When they do, make a loud noise to startle them. You can also keep a squirt bottle handy for this. I’ve also heard that they are repelled by the smell of wintergreen, so putting essential oil of wintergreen where you don’t want them might work. I’ve not tried this myself.
Hmmmm….that’s all that’s coming to mind right now. Hope it helps.
I am a heavy sleeper, so this is not something I had ever thought about until my little sister moved in with me. Older kittens and adult cats keep their own schedule. They do not sleep through the night and in fact have a tendency to get the “kitty crazies” at night or early in the morning. If you are a light sleeper, PREPARE yourself. My sister has lost a lot of sleep from the the cats jumping on and off her bed, playing with her stuff, running up and down the hallway, knocking stuff off dressers, etc.
Oh, my gosh, I love my cats! They are Nutmeg, a black and white tuxedo and Melody, a tortoise-shell tabby. Both are ‘rescues.’ I got them two years apart from each other. (Nutmeg was NOT happy to meet Melody…but she got used to her after a while.) My first cat, Mercedes, died a year before Nuttie came along at the ripe old age of 20.
One thing you should know about kittens is that they are insane. Really, really nuts. Do not let this discourage you. They do settle down over time.
Cats practically take care of themselves…practically. Be sure the litter box is cleaned every day. I highly recommend “Fresh Step Scoopable” as it is reasonably priced and smells nice. Fresh food and water all the time, of course!
Handle your kittens a lot when they come home. Melody would run and hide under the couch, and I’d fish her out and pet her and coo over her. Now she’s very affectionate. Both your kitties should know that any time a human touches them, it will be with love and affection. So if there are kids around, make sure they know the cats are living creatures with feelings, not toys!
Most importantly, be sure to keep their shots up to date and please, PLEASE spay or neuter them!
Good luck with your new fur babies!
Now, if you ever want to know anything about ferrets, just visit me at my blog, LOL!
After my 21 yr old kitty died my husband got a kitten and then I had to get a kitten to keep his kitten company. Two are fun together. Here is a cute pic. The internet was created, you know, so that people could share pictures of their cats. Not sure if the pic will show, here ia a link instead.
Okay, on to advice. Keep in mind that Dogs have Owners, Cats have Staff. This will prevent many misunderstandings.
Nature’s Miracle is the only kitty pee cleaner worth buying. If kitty is peeing in the wrong place it is not an accident, she is telling you something. Our kitty peed in our bed when we switched kitty litters. So, if you ever switch litters, keep two boxes (one old litter and one new litter) to make sure she is okay with the new one.
Kitty window perches are a great idea, but don’t bother with the plastic ones, as two full-grown kitties will break it and fall on the floor and glare at you as if it is all your fault. Get these ones. (No affiliation).
Don’t skimp on kitty food. Ask your vet what he or she uses and feed them that.
Teach your kitties to come when they are called. When they are heading your way anyway, shake a bottle of Cosmic Tuna Flakes Cat Treat. When they arrive, give them the treats. Do this dozens of times until kitty will head your way when you rattle the bottle. This is a life-saver for getting the kitties in at night.
Get your kitties at the same time. If they weren’t already together, bond them thusly:
Put each kitty in a carrier.
Put each carrier in the back seat of the car.
Get in the back seat yourself.
Have someone else start the car and start driving.
Transfer (at the same time if you can) each kitty to a new shared box,
They should be so anxious about the car that they forget to hiss at each other and will instead huddle together for reassurance. One trip around the block should do it.
Then carry the box into the house, open in, and walk away. Leave them to themselves. They will either have to choose to hiss at one another or to start exploring out of the box. Most kitties will opt for co-exploring.
Have fun, kittens and kittes are a joy.
Two things I recommend:
First, invest in a self-cleaning litter box. We use the LitterMaid brand, available at Wal-Mart. Does most of the stinky chore for you!
Second, don’t declaw your kitties. Instead, cover their claws with a product called SoftPaws. I wrote about it on our blog, here:
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/05/not-declawed.html
I can’t say enough about the SoftPaws. They even come in cute colors and different sizes so you can start your kittens on them before they destroy your furniture or curtains.
We live with two cats and a dog, full-time in our 300 square foot RV. They bring such joy to our lives.
Abotu a year ago, my husband and I got 2 cats, I had never had cats before, so i had to learn. my tips:
1) get kittens. they are so easy to train… show them the scratching post whenever they scratch, catnip doesn’t work til they are at least 6 months old, so use that tip if they are older.
2) fresh step cat litter is the world’s best. it doesn’t make your house stink.
3) you can teach them to walk on a leash if yous tart when they are young. get a harness, and know that they will probably just LAY DOWN til they want something the first time they have it on, but it’s great to be able to take them out.
4) even if you are not a cat person, you will love them, since you will see their personalities develop and i bet at the end you, like me, will enjoy cats alot more.
Teach them to tolerate a bath early on. You don’t need harsh chemicals or even soap to get them clean though; all you want is to get rid of the dander. Stick them in the tub one at a time and simply rinse with water making sure to get all the way down to the skin. Rinse again with cooled herbal tea (eucalyptus to keep fleas away) and then again with water. If you teach them to tolerate the water early on they won’t give you near as much grief about it.
If you get the newspaper try laying down a thick layer in the litter box then adding a bunch of shredded newspaper on top (use a paper shredder) instead of cat litter. It’s recycling and it’s dust-free. This is so much healthier for your cats than commerical litter and it’s cheaper than all-natural varieties. Some cats won’t tolerate the change though if you try to do it when they’re older so it’s best to start out right away on it. Change it everyday or every other day for best results.
If you’re really into it and want what’s best for your cats make their food from scratch — meat, veggies, a little starch and some supplements and you’re good to go. There are great books out there on how to love your cats naturally.
Have at least 2 litter boxes, sometimes cats just don’t like to share and if there’s not another box available, well, any corner will usually do!
Contrary to popular belief cats should be given neither canned tuna nor milk. Trust me on this!!!
Wow, so many great tips! Thanks so much everyone, I’m so excited about getting my babies!
Thought of a few more things.
Don’t ever ever give in to your cat’s request to be let out in the wee hours. Just wear ear plugs for a week until she gives up. Once you give in, it will happen every night for the rest of your life.
Start playing with your kitties’ paws right away. You’ll need to trim their nails and you want them to be used to fiddling with their paws.
Learn to speak Mama-Cat, that is, learn a guttural hiss. On a few occasions in kitty’s life you will need to exert your authority. Nail-trimming in the first year is one of these. When kitty gets squirmmy, hiss at them. After the first year of trimming they pretty much resign themselves to it and after many years it is a non-event.
Our kitties are 2 yrs old this year, and I can do one kitty in one sitting and the other one, one paw per session. I insist on finishing the paw I am on before releasing them.
Anyway, if you start playing with their paws now, pressing on the pads to make the claws extend, it won’t be so unfamiliar when you do it with clippers in hand.