Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My friend has kittens that are three to four weeks old, and says that they'll be ready for adoption in two or three weeks. So I'm assuming the kitty will be seven weeks old? I'm going to adopt one, but I'm not quite sure how to take care of it. I've never had a kitten or a cat before, however I've had dogs, hamsters, and fish? I've been doing a lot of research lately on things I need to buy and how to take care of it, but any added detail is appreciated. Also, I feel that seven weeks is too young? The kittens might be orphans though, because she said they're from a shelter? To be honest, I'm very confused and I just want help? Thank you.
It's easy as pie jenna17, nothing to it. Just give the kitten a bit of wet food and a little of the dry kitten food till it gets older. ( dry food may be too hard for his/her little teeth). You'll be amazed when you plop the lil one into a shallow box with kitty litter in it, amazed because they seem to know exactly what it's for, and they get right to it. Very sweet...other than that give the sweetheart lots of love...you'll know when he/she's happy cause they'll be purring. I've nursed with a dropper ( canned milk or slurry cat food) rescued kittens that were no more than 2 weeks old. It's not hard...Just make sure there's a bowl of fresh water always available, and try and keep the food and water in the same place, so kitty knows where they are....I stay away from vaccines and vets....but that's just me...kitty might need a worming as well...food grade diotamachious earth works well, and is non toxic, and very inexpensive...good luck, enjoy the new member of your family.
However, I own a toy poodle who is 3 years old, but I'm scared that he might hurt her? He isn't vicious, just tends to get jealous if you give another animal more attention. Would my kitten be fine? Also, do you think I should ask my friend these questions since she's the one with the kittens? This post goes out to everyone, in case you needed more detail.
This may or may not work with the poodle. Sometimes the dog is wise enough to leave the new kitten alone in the presence of people... and attack and kill it when no one is there. Dogs have done this with rabbits and guinea pigs and other small pets. Almost any vet or tech can tell you of such cases. Some dogs wont tolerate other small animals in the house and other dogs are thrilled with them. This is something to think about. Back in the 1960s my German Shepherd Tara waited for the opportunity, it came, and she killed my son's pet rabbit. No one expected it although we did suspect she resented the rabbit. We had the rabbit about 2 years when this happened.
I'm a bit concerned about you getting kittens when you don't have your own place to live. Pet ownership is for mature self-supporting adults. Your mother will have to agree 100% to this and be willing to accept that these kittens are basically her kittens because there is a huge chance you will leave these pets behind when you move out.
I'm a bit concerned about you getting kittens when you don't have your own place to live. Pet ownership is for mature self-supporting adults. Your mother will have to agree 100% to this and be willing to accept that these kittens are basically her kittens because there is a huge chance you will leave these pets behind when you move out.
I am with you 100%. We live in an apartment complex and a lot of younger people here get a pet because they think it would be fun. When their lease is up they move and lots of times the poor pet gets put out on his own to fend for himself. There was one cat who laid outside the apartment door for weeks after the person moved and all the neighbors were sneaking food to it. We finally got it a home.
We just took in a little Tortie that another resident dumped outside when they moved, same deal, we found it sitting in the parking lot looking lost. She is now a member of our family and is a wonderful little cat. People don't realize a pet is a lifelong commitment and if your living situation is unstable the last thing you need is another burdon. The animal would be better off with someone who can provide a stable home for them as long as they live.
I really like to see a kitten stay with momma cat until at least 12 weeks old. This reduces problems, including potty problems and temperament. They can get spayed or neutered at that time, as well. Since cats are proliferate at a very young age, it really is best to take care of THAT right away, in my opinion.
At that time, you can have the vet give a good checkup and first shots. I like to have any outside cat hit with the long term dewormer since they are at such high risk as mousers.
Litter box training is EZ and so is pretty much everything else with a cat.
The health issues are the most important. Altered cats that are well cared for and up to date on their shots should give you great companionship for many years. Watch for ear mites, teary eyes, sneezes at all times and report any odd behaviors to your vet so they can rule out illnesses and provide you advice.
If you cannot foresee promising a cat the next 10 to 15 years of your life, don't get one. I know it is tough to make that decision, but there it is. I suggest instead to wait until you can, be a foster home for cats in transition, or just volunteer your time at a shelter. But... my opinion is just my opinion.
Oh...and none of my cats have ever used an indoor scratching post or needed special toys ( other than us ), so you may or may not need those. Cats DO need to sharpen their claws for both mental and physical reasons. Our cats sharpen their claws outside and on the door leading to the outside as a way to tell us they want to go out. Weird...kinda like a dog in a way, but our front door is destroyed on the bottom. If we had a rental, we would be in a world of hurt paying for another door. Fair warning, i guess?
I found a litter of 2-3 day old kittens abandoned on the side of the road. We lost 3 but 2 are doing great and are now 6.5 weeks old. I will be giving one to my mom on Saturday (4 days from now) so he will be 7 wks old. You should get a good quality food, they eat wet in the morning with a bit of water. And dry the rest of the day. I was obviously bottle feeding them due to lack of a mother and i transitioned them into eating dry food by blending some into their kitten formula then by increasing the amount of dry. They now eat whole dry kibble drizzled with a bit of formula
(for extra fat) and will cut out the formula by Friday so he's fully weaned by Sat when my mom takes him. Definitely get a nail clipper, brush, bowls, and a comfy bed. Scratching post is a good investment too, unless you want your furniture ruined! Enjoy, they are such sweet little bundles of purring cuteness!!!
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
585 posts, read 2,015,434 times
Reputation: 794
So what happened?
I agree with everyone else, a kitten that small should not be adopted out solo nor at that young an age and certainly not to someone without their own home! Everything about this is wrong, I'm sorry.
Welcome to the forums, darci90!! Just so you know, this thread is an older one, from last August. The original poster's situation is likely resolved one way or another by now. Sometimes it is helpful to check the dates of the posts, it's there in the blue border above the post...so you can know if your information will be relevant to the original poster or probably not.
However, sometimes it is also great to post on old posts because newcomers may come with the same question and find your answer informative.
I'd say 8 to 10 weeks, but better would be 12 weeks. I adopted Delilah at the age of 12 weeks. But yeah get her/him a good high quality kitten food like Blue buffalo, or taste of the wild and some good canned food like blue buffalo or taste of the wild as well. One litter box per kitten plus one, depending on how may you adopt. (I kitten = 2 boxes 2 kittens = 3 boxes etc.) and the same rule applies for scratching posts. You'll need a food dish, water dish, collar, brush, nail clippers, a carrying crate for traveling to the vet or what not, and a bed and toys <3 Good luck!
Adding my 'welcome to the forum' as well.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
