Raising a kitten is like raising a human baby; it requires attention, care, and all the love you can provide. You’ll have to deal with all those late-night crying and keeping that little furball safe, warm, and cozy. At the same time, it can also be your life’s best decision. Raising a kitten is a lifelong commitment, and you need to make sure that you are serious about it. We always say that welcoming a pet into life is a roller coaster journey for every pet parent. Hence, we have compiled a list of a few things you should know before onboarding a furry baby into your life. So if you are bringing a kitten home, consider the following advice on raising a kitten. You would obviously want to bring it up to be a confident, obedient and healthy cat. By the time it grows, it will be savvy around your family and guests instead of hiding in a box like most cats do.
All about cat-mommying
Every pet parent goes through a unique experience of welcoming a kitten into their life. During this joyful ride, you might encounter days when no one is there to explain why your cat is behaving in a certain way. By that time, you will get the confidence to manage your pet because of the bond you share with your furry friend. But yes, we are going to give you some mandatory heads-up about the things that you are about to go through and have to take care of when you are cat-mommying! A kitten will have very distinct needs compared to a teenage cat, just like you had when you were an infant and now that you have grown up! We’ll prepare you for every important stage, so you don't find yourself completely clueless while parenting a kitten. (Inside tip: you need to take care of your cat’s health at the beginning and your cat’s mood swings after a certain age).
First Month
The first month when you bring your tiny furball home is going to be very crucial. Heads Up!! You might have to stay up a few nights as well. Your kitten should be about eight weeks old when you bring it home; by then, they have been weaned already. So their diet needs to be very thought-out and curated. It should be energy-dense so that a growing kitten shall have enough energy to play around. Their diet should be protein-rich to suffice for their growing body.
Most importantly, it should be easily digestible; remember, they have sensitive digestion? It can be dry kibble or wet kitten food but make sure they are specifically formulated for kittens. As delightful as this period of kittenhood is, it is also a period of significant changes in your kitten’s life. Leaving a mother’s warm womb and accepting a new mama is a difficult period where a pet parent needs to make the kitten feel safe. Keep your supervision strong as it will become a running, climbing, playing, and most importantly, exploring ball of fur. Try keeping your kitty in an enclosed room where it can be supervised at all times and close to you.
Two to Four Months
Your beloved furball is snowballing at this stage, and it is going to have a lot more energy than an adult cat. The more they feed their inquisitive self and keep on zooming around the house, the more energy they will need, which will come from a wholesome diet. At this time, your kitten might feed almost four to five times a day. This is the best time to offer them what we call ‘Free feeding.’ Free feeding is keeping food in their bowl at all times so that they can feed themselves whenever they are hungry. It is important that you keep these meals protein-packed for your kitten that would support their growth.
Four to Six Months
Believe it or not, your kitten is reaching adolescence and will start to behave more confidently but won't forget to be playful. It is essential to keep them from going outdoors or being around other adult male cats as it might result in an accidental litter due to its growing sexual maturity, which will not be healthy for your feline (cat). Territorial spraying around the house during the heat months in their cycle might become quite a problem but don’t worry; it is just temporary for a few weeks. You can try keeping your cat busy and help them get through this period smoothly without it being much of a problem.
Six to Ten Months
By this time, your kitty has become familiar with your home, frequent visitors, nooks, and crannies of your home that you might not have visited (Thanks to your feline’s flexibility and inquisitiveness). It is important that you socialize your kitten from a young age so that it is confident and social around guests and other cats. It will help them interact better and be obedient when the time comes. Cats are usually very independent beings by this stage, and you can allow them to move around the house freely and even give them little outside tours to introduce the world to them little by little. But don't just let them out on their own without supervision. Before taking it out, ensure that her vaccination shots are on time and that she has strong immunity. Your kitty is just an adolescent by this age, so it is neither an utterly confident adult nor that timid little furball you had brought home. Your pet has already developed its favourite corner and most visited loft. At this stage, cats can manage to stay home alone for at least 6-8 hours a day. Also, you need to take care of the mental stability of your cat, as cat depression is an actual thing. So, make sure you give them adequate attention to make them feel loved.
Daily Kitty Care Reminders:
Patience is the key to parenting.
Acclimatize your cat to using a litter box while eliminating it even though it is instinctual but put it in the litter box after meals and playtime at a young age so that the habit is reinforced.
Do not forget to comb and groom her every week.
Introduce interesting toys to your cat to keep her engaged.
Give her boxes and paper bags. They LOVE them!
Allow it to be used on various types of walking surfaces.
Give her specific scratching alternatives like scratching posts to satisfy her instinctual needs.
Allow her to socialize with other cats.
Reward friendly behaviour and obedience with treats and reprimands with ignoring when your pet is acting up.
Pet her frequently to let her know she is loved and wanted in the household.
Just like your parents have been patient and empathetic with you while you were growing up. Similarly, even cat parenting requires the same from you while you are raising your furball. There will undoubtedly be highs and lows, and even though we have given you an idea of the basics of raising a kitten, the best parts are unplanned and unforeseen. When it comes to pet parenting, you must understand that every pet has its distinct personality, which needs to be preserved and respected by its parents. They might be goofy or sometimes embarrassing, but just like you are not perfect, they aren’t, but they try every day to be their best versions for you. All they ask of you is to give them those loving pats, belly and head scratches, and lots and lots of treats!
If this guide has given you a rough idea of the responsibilities of raising a kitten and you have made up your mind about it, then you give us a chance to help you adopt healthy and purebred kittens near you. We are sure you give them a loving home and good care. But always make sure that you adopt kittens responsibly because once you are in it, there's no turning back! You can check us out at Mr n Mrs Pet. We will also assist your pet parenting needs and make pet care an easy peasy deal for you.
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