Help with newly rescued kitten, advice on

[Aviator]

So.....we have acquired a kitten. It was dumped in some bins near our house. I've never been a cat person, previously I've had dogs, but I have lots of sympathy and love animals anyway so have been looking after this little kitten for a couple of weeks now and against my initial thoughts (to pass it to a home or rehome with friends) it looks like it might becoming part of our family :).....So I need to ask people in the know - (its about 9-10 weeks old), is there anything particular that I should be doing at a young age that will set this kitten up for life , ie - is a collar a good idea but something that I need to do at an early age? Kitten seems to have taken well to litter tray so far, I was thinking of changing it to one of those boxed in ones to reduce smell as it will be indoor cat for a while (we currently live on very busy road and loads of foxes nearby), is that a good idea? Any other tips that we might need to do at this early age to help kitten along? My friend said keep it off the table by taking it off every time and this has worked (its such an education for me too as I am continually amazed!). Any other training tips?

[gamerchick]

I was in a sort of similar situation and have been lumbered with this kitten.. although she's a bit older.

The first thing I did was take her to the vets for a health check and vaccinations/worm fleaing. Have you done that yet?

[rembrandtsrockchick]

Oh dear. You do realise that you are entering into a lifetime of servitude?

[gamerchick]

And yes the boxed in litter tray is much better. They can't hang their arse over the edge and shit on the floor then.

[Aviator]

Yes, I have taken it to the vet,checked for micro chip (none), flea, dewormed, taken ticks off etc. I guess its vaccinations next? Of course I can find some essential info out on internet but I'm so new to all of this kitten/cat stuff. So I really want to know if theres anything I should be doing at a crucial age, should I get it a collar? I read that boxed in litter trays not a good idea cos the smell stays in there and then cat refuses to go as it stinks.....is this true or only in older, thus more picky cats. This kitten seems very mellow, I haVE 3 kids and it lets them pick it up and goes completely floppy, never scratches or bites etc. will this change though? (I hope not!) Ive been buying sainsburys clumping litter, is this ok? Also have noticed small amount of blood in stools , is this normal (considering it might have been eating crap for its first couple of months, is this adjustment to normal cat food or something i should be very concerned about?), its not much, I just noticed a smearing of it in litter tray.

[gamerchick]

I just leave the lid up. You don't use to use the flap if you don't want to. Decent litter means very little smell.. asdas own is diabolical. We use felight antibacterial.

I wouldn't be happy with blood in the poo though.. no idea what it could be though.

[gamerchick]

Personally I like the collar. It's one of those quick release ones. Means I know where she is in the house.

[odoneel]

Is the blood bright red or darker? Generally, if darker, it's old blood and not so much of a worry. Either way it def needs checking with a vet. Could be anal glands - my cat had this from a kitten - basically he can't fully express his anal glands, so every three months or so we take him to the vets to get it done ( doesn't cost much, and takes a couple of minutes).

[cozietoesie]

Seniorboy will only use clumping litter and Sainsbury's or the Co-op are the overwhelmingly preferred choices. (They're very similar in texture and useability.) It's normally Sainsbury's that he gets.

[Aviator]

The blood is bright red. should I save a stool and take it to the vets or will they think I am mad? The litter I use is Sainsburys basic NON CLUMPING (thought it was clumping, tbh I don't know the difference), it seems fine but if I want less smell should I change it now before kitten gets picky? Does that happen as they get older? I know this probably sounds harsh but we are struggling with money as it is and ideally wouldn't of taken on a pet at this stage (contacted local cat rescue and they are very very full so I said I will look after it for as long as I can - getting attached though.......) , so I am trying my best to do the best but within budget, I'd never let the kitten go without etc. but I do have to consider costs. We would qualify to use the PDSA vets so that helps. GAMERCHICK- Whats a quick release collar? Does it track the cat or similar?

[RubbishMantra]

Definitely take him to the vet re. blood in poo.

My cats have never had a problem with the covered litter tray, just remove the flap until he's a bit older and can work out how to use it. If you scoop crap and pee-clumps often, it shouldn't smell. A good cat litter helps too, I use World's best.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Chick crumb, if you can get hold of it is clumping, very good at hiding odours and very fine grained. I was paying £10 for 20kg at a farm supplies shop. It's chopped up maize, I got mine from a farm/horse supplies shop. If you look online you might have such a place nearer than you think.

I would query the blood in stools with the vet.

Butchers choice is a good non cereal cat food & very cheap. There's another butchers now, similar price. If cost is an issue skip the kitten food thing, my childhood cats never had it and all managed ok. The protein level in the kitten foods I looked at weren't much higher than normal food.

Avoid go cat dry food, some of the chemicals in that are banned in other countries for being harmful.

You don't have to put a collar on her. I don't on mine but dh does.

If you qualify for pdsa use them for neutering & microchipping. Don't skip the microchipping.

Lots of gentle handling is what she needs now & plenty of love.

[Aviator]

Thanks so much for all your useful tips, its reassuring to hear real life answers rather than trawling the internet. He has come a long way, from being wet and bedraggled, hiding and hissing for 5 days, he is (right now) playing in the middle of the floor with my toddlers sock surrounded by 4 people and unbelievably (to me anyway) tolerates being picked up by said toddler and goes completely floppy and purrs. His coat has changed too - is now glossy and puffed up so I presume thats a good sign and his nose is now wet, it was dry for a while which I thought was a bit odd. I've been feeding him some whiskers (which Ive since been told isnt that good) and found some greatly discounted IAMS dry kitten food so got that for the moment. Ill check out other food types. I was told by the local vet that they only recommend Hills cat food but I guess they sell it so they would, its hideously expensive. I got a scratching post thing from ebay which it seems to like as I thought its claws were long, but I dont know, its all a learning curve.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Hills is pricey, the vet probably doesn't make a huge profit on it.

Mines on Aldi, it doesn't mean I don't love him. It just means I shop at aldi.