new cat or kitten advice (merged)

hev_2

Cats will snack all day. I got in the habit of putting fresh food down in the morning & evening because that was before going to work and after work. If they are having tinned food or pouches a cat may not need to drink much, just keep an eye on it. Originally they were desert animals, so they get most of their liquid from their prey in the wild. Just make sure that you change the water regularly.

Cats sleep where they will - if you put the bed in a prime place like in front of the fire you may get lucky. When your kitten is older you can try leaving catnip there.

Our old cat had to be locked downstairs or yes, she would play on top of us at 3am with gusto! As it is her first night she may feel a little more secure in a limited space.

It sounds like you have a lovely cat. Good luck.

hev_2

Just to add - cats are usually not backward in coming forward when they want something, like the prime spot next to the fire, more crunchies, more food etc. Just pay attention and the little cat will be fine. You obviously care, and that is a very good start.

wishiwasarichgirl

cats will soon figure out where they are suposed to sleep, and will do their best to sleep everywhere else

I've always found cat-beds to be a complete waste of money. some cats like little dark boxes to sleep in (put a couple of cardboar boxes together to make a little den, with an old jumper or bit of carpet inside). others will only sleep where they are not allowed - in that case buy lots of washable furnature throws:D

as for playing, some cats are more alert at night, mine gallops up and down the stairs at about 3 in the morning for no apparent reason :rolleyes:

tishywish

I was going to add to this but Hev's said everything I was going to! You can tell we've both had cats a long time Mine like to wake me at 3 in the morning, too, but he does it by trashing the place and if he's locked in one room he just trashes it loudly enough to wake me up so I find it easier to pander to his every whim!

Hope your first night wasn't too disturbed, I have always found kittens have been good at sleeping all night and it's only when they get to be juvenile cats that they start to become a pain, wanting to play at all hours.

Have fun with her, she sounds lovely.

daisykinn1

Oo you've finally got your kitten! Congrats!
We're off to Battersea on Monday to check out a few litters but we keep swaying from wanting to rescue an old cat to getting 2 kittens. I've bought a stack of books, they all recommend feeding little & often if that helps.

bindiboo

Her first night went ok. We decided to put her in the hallway near a raditor. her only access was the hall way stairs and our bedroom, which she checked out twice. she then went back down to her bed and snuggled up for most of the night. She is a bit more lively so far this morning and has taken to kitten milk and has now touched the water.

She has a facination with the tv stand and I have had to block this off with cushions to keep her off the dvd player, although she is managing to wiggly through still!!

JoeyEmma

Kittens are fab. They will crawl in every tiny space, behind the washing machine, behind the fridge, anywhere. For a while half our kitchen had all the gaps sealed off with cardboard and tape to stop them getting stuck in every nook and cranny.

I remember thinking we'd lost ours for about 2 hours. We then found they'd squeezed through a gap in a partly closed wardrobe door and were sleeping in shoes. It was super cute.

Feed little and often, they'll tell you when they are hungry. Also, we leave ours to sleep in downstairs as they also wake us up at 4am. We ended up having to put a bolt on the downstairs door as they could open the door (its a pull open door, so how they do it I don't know) and wake us up at all ours. They have moments of madness and chase each other around the house for about half an hour at a time, then stop and snooze for hours.

Oh, and she looks gorgeous. Like our little cat Bella. Does she have a name?

Fen1

For all kitten fans:

http://www.randomkittengenerator.com/

bindiboo

well the stakes were high on Millie or Cookie and when she came home I though she was a Cookie for deffo. Other half said he prefers Cleo which was on our list of names. so............................looks like she is a Cleo

bindiboo

question

when should I start flea treatment. She has been wormed with her next dose in 2 weeks. I know you have to worm her every 2 weeks until she is 12 weeks old and then every 3 months.