first time with a Kitteh!!

[Wishes]

I just adore cats!

They are each unique in their own, so you have to learn to understand and communicate with them.

Find what type of wet food they like (or dry, if that's all you will be feeding yours). I find this process is easier when you let them choose =)

They like fresh running water, mine drinks from the sink sometimes, but they make moving water fountains for pets now. They will drink plain settled water though.

They should be brushed often, especially if allowed outside, check for ticks!

They can smell after awhile and need a bath, be smart, pay the 20 bucks at a pet groomers, your unclawed thighs will thank you greatly

Give us pics when you get it! I am eager to see the kitteh!

[shadowx]

Get some catnip treats... hehe makes em go absolutely mental! (though if they do kitten ones only give them those for the first year or two and ONLY as a treat, its like giving a hypo kid smarties!) Hilarious and they love em!

Also if you see it scratching furniture or the carpet immediately stop it from doing so, usually pushing your hand towards it at speed will stop it. Dont hit the cat, or threaten the cat but generally if something comes towards a cat they stop what they are doing. And then get it a scratching post!

Most of all have fun, i too am a cat person and love em but asthma and a slight allergy stops me getting as close as i want (we still have a cat tho )

[WitchyLady506]

If you decide to mostly go with dry food, still make sure to feed it wet cat food at least a couple times a week. If it's going to be strictly indoor, make sure to get foods that are for indoor cats. Also, once the cat is old enough, make sure to get hair ball medicine that you can mix into wet food, so it's not coughing them up all over your place.

Make sure you have 2 litter boxes. I also recommend World's Best Cat litter as it's made out of corn, and really does what it says. Plus, you can flush it, so if the little one creates something horribly smelly you can just scoop and flush it. It's around $18 at petsmart for a 20lb bag, but in my experience with cat litters, it's worth it and for me that 20lb bag lasts 2 months with having 3 litter boxes. The same amount of other cat litters barely go a month.

The simplest toys are the best, and like Shadow said, don't hit them, unless you got one like mine that does things just to see if he can get you angry at times. Most of the time just a strict voice and demeanor gets the point across. Also, cats tend to be rather intelligent and speaking to them like you would a child tends to work, or at least has in my experience.

[Peregrine]

Whenever introducing a cat to a new place, first put them wherever the litter box is. Let them find their way about from there. Cats like structure and they will study everything closely. (Furniture layout, social status, etc). They also like privacy and will seek a quiet spot from time to time. At least in my experience with cats, that has been the case.

People joke about how their pet thinks it is a person but it may be the reverse. Based on a few of those Animal Planet documentaries, as far as they are concerned, you are a big, funny-looking cat.

[Ravencry]

I've realised also, that if you nurture them like a child, they will accept you as family (when they start licking you, you have become their 'family')

I like to get them really good cat food, my favourite is Sheba, just because its 100% real meat. Its a little pricey, but your cat will love you for it.

When you pick out the kitten, let the kitten choose you. Don't choose it. This way you start off with an excellent bond, the kitten will most likely grow to be your familiar.

Always make sure that if they are going outdoors, you buy flea powder for the cats. This is the only way that I have been able to get my kittens flea medicine without a faceful of claws.

If you decide to get your cat declawed, beware that the cat will bite more.

If the kitten develops anything weird (clumps of dirt that can't be removed, your cat smells like death, it won't eat or drink) PLEASE take it to the animal hospital as soon as possible, or your kitty might pass.

[shadowx]

I would advise against de-clawing, never heard of it being done on cats but they need their claws to climb and do everything that a cat naturally does, to take its claws away just seems cruel to me

[Ravencry]

I kept my kitties claws for that reason. My grandparents did it to one of our cats and he was never able to climb again, and he couldn't hunt. I would like my kitties to be able to defend themselves if they were ever attacked. (and might I add, their little claws are freaking sharp!!!) I also kept them because my cats would have hated me forever and after they have had their claws for a while and you just have them removed, they tend to turn vicious and they don't like you much afterward. (my grandparents cat never came in the house unless they were asleep. He really hated them)

[WitchyLady506]

Both my boys are declawed(Anubis I found that way as he was a stray and I had it done to Phoenix after he pulled a small table over on himself because they got stuck) and neither bite. They both climb still, just not curtains and both are great mousers and can catch/kill anything and tend to(including rabbits moles and squirrels), so I think that whole thing about they can't do such and such if you remove the front claws is a little on the BS side. That or my boys are just different.

I will say if you go for declawing, make sure the vet uses a laser to remove them, not clips them and do keep the back ones, as those are for defense, while the front ones are more for not letting go.

[Wolfmoon caster]

He looks so cute ^-^. When r u putting up the pics for everyone else to see?

[Wolfmoon caster]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak- ... 0599_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak- ... 5361_n.jpg

[Wolfmoon caster]

No prob ^_^

[WitchyLady506]

Awww, it's a baby version of my Anubis^_^

[WitchyLady506]

You should not name your cat per se, you should get together some names that you feel reflect his personality and see which one he likes. If he likes a name, he'll answer to it, that's what I did with Anubis. I also think that's why most cats don't acknowledge their owners when they get called because they don't feel that it's their name.

Now I will say I didn't do that process with Phoenix. My grandfather had found a pregnant cat and was trying to talk me into taking one of the kittens when they were born. I told him if she had a orange and white kitten I wanted it and I'd name it Phoenix. All the other kittens were a combination of gray, white and black, except one, and his makings even remind you a little of flames and he has bright orange eyes. That was just a bit of destiny^_^

[Robert L]

Most common mistake I've seen new cat owners make is assume their getting a different sort of dog.
(These are the people who complain about them the most)

So far, I've seen enough good advice on the topic.