Top 10 Kitten Care Tips According to a Veterinarian
Dr. Sarah Wooten, DVM, CVJ shares her top 10 tips for successfully caring for a new kitten.
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0:00 Introduction
0:17 Tip 1: Feed Your Kitten Properly
2:25 Tip 2: Start Clipping Your Kitten’s Nails Early
3:24 Tip 3: Provide Ample Scratching Opportunities
5:33 Tip 4: Litter Train Correctly
6:37 Tip 5: Cat-Proof Your Home
7:49 Tip 6: Make Gradual Introductions to Other Pets
9:04 Tip 7: Socialize Your Kitten Appropriately
10:38 Tip 8: Harness Train Your Kitten
11:33 Tip 9: Don’t Skip Vet Visits
12:49 Tip 10: Look Into Health Insurance for Your Kitten
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1. Feed your kitten properly 2. Start nail-trimming asap 3. Provide ample scratching opportunities 4. Litter train correctly 5. Cat-proof your home 6. Make gradual introductions to othet pets 7. Socialize your kitten appropriately 8. Harness train your kitten 9. Don't skip vet visits 10. Look into health insurance
11. Do not do drugs.
12. Stop child anuse
@erwinsalva this is noted po😊
13. Do not crime
There should be a law to ban declawing, or prosecute those who decided to declaw their pets, that's animal abuse tbh
I agree! I rescued my cat Marley from several strays I feed. I noticed he may have an upper respiratory infection and after some time I was able to get him to come inside and noticed he had been de-clawed 😿 on top of that he had mange and an ear infection. I took him to the vet, he was not microchipped and now he is healthy and well taken care of. He bit me several times in the begining to the point of drawling blood at times, but he didn't know me and had no other way to protect himself and had been on the streets for some time.
We had our first cat declawed because the vet that we were using at the time told us that he only removed the claw nothing else, well fast forward a few years and I started working for a vet and helped with a declawing surgery where I actually got to see how the vet did the surgery after that I vowed that I would never have that done to another one of my cats.
Most veterinarian's do NOT declaw anymore.
I agree
yes
Wonderful tips. I said goodbye to my cat of 18 years just four months ago. Starting a new journey by picking up a kitten this Saturday. Thanks Doc :')
So sorry for your loss 🩵
I’m sorry for your loss and I really hope your new kitten lives a long healthy life❤️
Great tips and you are a wonderful person, thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thank you for this! Very helpful as a new kitten mom
we found our kitten at 5 weeks on side of road. He has been getting his nails trimmed at least every two weeks since . he is now 9 months . He gets front ones done fine. he forbids the back ones. lol.
Is love some advice. I have a 5 week old at hope I just rescued. Shes only been with me 36 hours. She ate ok for the first 24. But now she won't eat. Its been 12 hours. I can't get a vet to see her. Obviously if she gets really sick im gonna take her regardless of appt. But all I could get was a free weigh and sex check and age determination. Did you see stress cause your kitten to not eat for a bit? Its been 12 hours. She seems ok. Does play. But I saw 2 little throw ups. Love any advice from your experience. Thabk you.
I’m just about to get my new kitten. Thank you for the great tips. I wrote a lot of them down and will talk about these things with my local vet.
Thanks for your great tips.
Excellent info thank you very much👏
I once had a cat that liked to hide in a room off the hallway and he would either jump out in front of you as you approached that door and throw his front legs out like a person jumping out to scare you and then he would take off running ahead of you then other times he would wait till you were almost past the doorway then jump out behind you and smack you on the leg (claws in) and then take off running ahead of you. One day when he did that I chased him down until I caught up, I then proceeded to lightly tag him kn his butt then I turned and ran the opposite was and he chased me until he caught and tagged me. We spent several minutes going back and forth tagging each other. I was laughing the whole time because of how crazy it was that I was playing tag with a cat.
Great information love this video thank you 😊❤
just got a 3 month old kitten and came across this video and it was EXTREMELY helpful thank you so much lol
I cant thank you enough for your amazing videos. I've learned alot since i found this channel and unfortunately there are so many things unavailable for pets in my country but at least now i know what to do for my kittens health and how to make some of the things my kittens need. You saved me and my kittens alot of stress and hardship. God bless you
Extremely helpful. I've had cats all my life, but am getting kittens for the first time (two brothers). I'm nervous, but this has helped.
Thank you!!🙏🏼
Great video. Thank you so much for the information ☺️
You are so welcome!
Fantastic advice! My cat just had 4 kittens 25 days ago and I've already started the nail trimming and grooming. I really learned a lot! Thank you! P.s. when she was pregnant, 2 weeks prior to giving birth, my cat had the worst seizure!! I rushed her to the vet right around the corner and she had 3 in that short time. Thank God they figured it out within minutes and stabilized her. Her babies are perfect and healthy! It was the topical flea medication I put on her the night before. When i watched my security footage back later that day, i saw her licking and grooming herself and she must have ingested it. It was AWFUL to watch! The vet said it's way more common than we think!
You’re just so awesome!
Great advice. 👍
I definitely went overboard with cat proofing my place for our new kitten. Completely put protection on all the wires even phone chargers. Shampooing all the carpets before getting him. Security monitor for when I’m not around is huge for your peace of mind. 3 litter boxes. Variety of toys. Etc
Thank you for these tips.😊😊😊
Great info 👌
You are amazing thank you very much for providing us with your knowledge and speciality😍😻❤️
Just got a kitten today and first thing i did besides grooming and flea treatment was a nail trim because thankfully I had some small clippers around! Glad I did good!
And i found a cat tree on the side of the road ten minutes later a real nice big one!!
@@nikkinebula6440wow awesome!
The shelter we adopted our kitten had her off kitten food at 8 months. She was in a big room with other adult cats. Nail trimming is the next thing to train. Working on teeth brushing.
Our cats love wearing their harness! They know it means play outside 😁
Love it!
We've started taking our kitty on the sailboat and he's starting to love his harness.
My 8 week old kitten loves walking on a harness!
I am considering fostering kittens until they can be adopted. This is very helpful, especially the kitty litter training.
This is helpful for me so my mom might get me one
I used to have a cat that would try and escape any time the door opened so I bought a harness and one of those extendable leashes. I had back problems so I couldn't walk around much but at least my cat could get out and explore while also being kept safe. Then on the flip side I had a cat that hated going outside.. It seemed to scare her, you could have left the door open 24/7 and she wouldn't venture any farther than the metal plate at the entrance.
Thank you for the tips yesterday my daughter found a kitten somewhere of one month old fully stuck with tars and was crying she brought home and now we are taking care of her I don't want to loose her she's so tiny and weak do pray for her and I will protect and love her with all my love
Will work on trimming the nails.
Best advice for new kitten owners I think is cat proofing your wires. And the thing that’s completely saved my heart from exploding when I go to work is getting a security camera. They’re super cheap and just awesome to check on them at times.
Great
I did that with the harness
I started trimming my cats claws at 6 weeks. I also have both vertical and horizontal scratching areas for my cats.
am sooo glad i found this channel ...so interesting and you are amazing! tks for all the infos ..anytime i watch your lives and videos
Do we keep on nail trimming routinely or should we stop at certain point?
I got rid of 2 recliner chairs so my 3 cats wouldn't get caught under the chairs.I bought 2 new chairs and I have a lot of scratching posts and they wanted to scratch the 2 new chairs.I have a cat that wont share the litter boxes with the other 2 cats.
How to properly litter train in a studio apt with no actual “rooms”? 😭 Having a hard time with my 9 week old
Have you stopped performing declaws? Studies show most US veterinarians _believe_ owners will rehome their cats 50% of the time when vets refuse to declaw, but in actuality 80-90% are just like meh okay, we'll keep the cat and the cat can keep its claws. Please refuse to offer this service unless it's medically necessary.
Our vet knows about my wife's and my disabilities and he cuts our kitten's claws. We’ve painted old perfume and after shave on the electric cables we can't hide, they won’t go near them now. Because of everything that’s been going on, and the fact I have weak lungs we haven’t been having many people in the flat (apartment). They are not the best with visitors, especially Baxter. We can't walk them with a harness, my wife is hemiparuplegic and I have very weak lungs, thus we don’t have a dog. Our vet became a friend as he treated our 22 year old through several health issues but especially the cancer. Vets don't have the title 'Dr' in the U.K. unless they have a PhD, I think that’s one of those things peculiar to America like Dentist and Chiropractors having the title as well.
my last name is wooten. Literally only the second person I have ever seen with that last name. made me jump when she said it haha. only other person being Victor Wooten the Bass player
We have 5 outdoor cats all of the same litter we feed. One of the females is pregnant. Will the other cats kill her litter? She will give birth pretty soon and I need to know sooner. Knowledge of this will be greatly appreciated.
hi I am going to be a new kitten owner in 5 weeks it is me and my daughter 1st time I am a bit confused about the kitten letter tray does that mean if the kitten has to stay in tray for a week to get use to it
I’ve been so fortunate to have two kittens who automatically took to the kitty litter. The only issue is the bigger kitty is an extrovert and the smaller kitty is an introvert :/:( Didn’t find out until they came into their own.
How is it an issue?
So blessed ugh lol 😩
This year in September I will have a kitten
hi... crazy question perhaps but i have a bird..good idea to have them in same room? my parrot is free range and he flies all over
You should NEVER declaw a cat! It is crucial and unnecessary!. The only good reason a vet would do so is for money. Cats were created to walk on their toes and it forces them to walk differently on flat feet. It causes pain and arthritis. They can no longer climb or defend themselves and are prone to bite more.
Aw I wish. My apartment building doesn’t allow cats or dogs. I’ve lived with both in different phases of my life. Kittens are so cute!
I completely agree about getting insurance only if...you don't or won't have any other way to pay for hefty expenses you & your kitty may have. I don't trust any for-profit insurance company to care about me or my cat. I see their "Denial" letters coming in the mail after you've paid all your premiums, co-pays, & deductible. Insurance companies will try to screw you every which way. Last resort, only. I detest them. Just saying.
I'm picking up my 12 week kitten tomorrow. Is it okay to feed him 2x a day morning before work and evenign after work.
Thanks Doc. California??? I'll say a prayer for ya
Clearly some people here think trimming claws is the same as declawing LOL
I don’t think so. She did say that she’s done claw removal surgeries. It seems she implied that it used to be a fairly common practice, but she doesn’t recommend it today. (I don’t think she said that she no longer does it.)
So I'm not ready to get a cat yet but I will get ready before, thanks for the tips
I got my boy when he was a year old. I have never been able to trim his nails. He'll let a groomer do it but not me grrrrr. All my other cats I got as kittens and day 1 started nail trimming while they were napping in my lap.
Excellent video! I just moved back to my house in the desert 🌵 (Ca.) my cats need to be totally inside because of the coyotes. I noticed the cats had worms 🪱 and found your video while doing R&D on worming. I have used DE for years for everything from animal dusting, bug 🐜 spray, pool cleaning to HardCider 🫠 brewing. Now I will use it on my cats to kill off those darned flat worms too! You might add to your video that if a person keeps a cat box,you gotta dump the litter every day for at least a week. The worms hang out in the clay litter then catch a ride out🥴 I'll mix a cup of DE into the litter to help with that problem too. Thanks again for your great advice! Marc, Lake Elsinore, California
litter training a kitten is like potty training a puppy now if you are like me and you know a lot about dogs but now you're learning about cats and you want to know how to litter train here's how with comparision PUPPY KITTEN LIMIT ACCESS TO THE HOUSE LIMIT ACCESS TO THE HOUSE TAKE OUTSIDE OFTEN TAKE TO LITTER BOX OFTEN SLOWLY GIVE ACCESS TO OTHER ROOMS WITH TIME SLOWLY GIVE ACCESS TO OTHER ROOMS WITH TIME
My feral cat gave birth outside, and kittens had died. How I bring her home?She is always afraid. I fed her for 3 months.
Can you recommend a Good Insurance for my 5 year old Cat? Anyone?...
So for outdoor cats, what about those collars with little bells on them so they can't sneak up on local wild life? Breakaway collar of course, no question, but I'm pretty sensitive to sound myself and I could imagine that when I've got a sound constantly jangling around me, I would flip. And I'm not even a cat! How would a keenly hearing predator feel then? So how good or bad is it to include that little bell?
Are there insurances that have direct payment even if monthly payments are high?
Yes. Trupanion offers this!
@@AllAboutCatsYT Perfect I'll look into it
I really wish my kitten would let me trim her nails. I could do it when she was really little, but now that she's going on 7 months old it's a straight up battle. Even when I wait until she's asleep she immediately pulls her paws back before I can trim her nails. It's so frustrating because she's making me bleed pretty often now rip
Maybe have the vet trim her claws. Or better yet, practice just touching her paws without bringing out the nail clipper. Praise her whenever she does well and give her a treat.
My old cat has to be distracted.. one of us fills up a large syringe ( like for children's medication) full of the purre tuna ( her fav treat, and pretty much her only treat she likes) and my boyfriend will hold her and give her a small constant squirter while I quickly trim. Its the easiest way for us. Hope this helps.
Help please. I brought home a 5 week old kitten 36 hrs ago Vet said 4 to 5 weeks old. But didn't look at her teeth ( it was a free quick visit cause I couldn't get an appt anywhere and just begged to have them quickly look and tell me the age and sex a,d if it looks OK so I know how to care for it. I looked at the kittens teeth after and she has all her premolars, so she's at least 5 weeks old, I believe she is stunted! Bit due to the rough environment I took her from. She was eating. Wet kitten food mixed with kitten replacement milk. For the first 24hrs. Last ate last night before bed. Maybe 10 or 11 pm. Its now 1pm , like over 12 hours and she stopped eating. Probably drinking too. Ive seen 2 throw ups. Very small the second time. And maybe medium sized the first time. She also hasn't pooped since maybe 24hrs from what I can see. She won't use the litter box yet so idk when she peed last. Other than that she's playing a bit when I bring out a string. Shes awake and sitting on my lap ( that's big progress as she was completly feral) and meows when left alone. She's so little im neevious. Vet said bottle feed. But she wouldn't take it. And I saw her eating in the wild, and read 5 week old could have grul. So thats what we did. I can't get into vets. My established kitty had tobwait 3 weeks to get in just for shots, and I've called around. Not sure if its just stress. Or if I should be worried. Please help. Might have to contact my local shelter if she gets sick, but I want to keep her. Her one sibling was passed already. Two others didn't look well, massive eye infections. But could only catch her. And want her to thrive. Hoping I can get someone to go trap the other two babies. But thats another story. I would appreciate any help or advice. Thanks.
why is it important to trim cat nails? Is that what scratching post are for?
Scratching posts are actually to sharpen their claws. To feed their instinctual behavior and plus it feels good to them. But trimming them is separate and important because their nails can grow long enough to curl inwards and towards their paws and thus cause pain. Plus it’ll help them not ruin you home items. So regular trimming with places for them to scratch in between those time is best!
What's your suggestion for getting cats used to those silly outfits? I named my kitten after a wizard D&D chara and now all I want to do is get him a small wizard's hat and robe. (I raised a previous cat and he was not into outfits; I always figured I just didn't get him used to it soon enough!)
how do you stop a cat from biting you or nipping at you please
Aluminum foil works on cords to keep them away from them.
My 4 week old kitten don't Want to drink water how I get him drink water
My kitten wont use any of the scratching posts :(
My 1 month old kitten pees in the litter tray & poops in the indoor plant pot!!Help😊
I feed them tons of kitten dry food first 7 pound of Purina kitten now IAMS 16 pounds bag of dry food buy they've been eating regular Friskies since its easier to get a 60 cans box.....
Please please don’t feed IAMS. It’s such an awful food.
Can I file there nails instead of cutting ?
Are “all life stages” food as good as a kitten food?
From my research (I might be wrong), quality all life stages wet food (that contain a lot of meat) is exactly the same as high quality kitten food and/or high quality adult food. Cheap "kitten" food has more meat compared to the same brand's adult food which is filled with useless fillers (grains, potatos, other carbs, cheap meat byproducts,...). On some of the kitten labels I can see minimal difference in 1-2 vitamins. On most of them though, nothing is different. Bottom line (IMO): cheap wet -> stick with kitten, adult has less protein quality wet (minimal carbs, lots of protein)-> anything is fine dry food-> too many ingredients anyway, stick with kitten label, just in case.
@@jousis_ cheap wet food does not mean low protein. Fancy feast and Friskies are often used for diabetic kitties who need a high protein diet
@@juliac3933 have you spotted any difference on those brands between kitten and adult? Less fat in adult maybe ?
@@jousis_ Yes kitten food has more fat, Vitamins and nutrients etc same with puppy food I feed my cat Fancy feast and Dine food .
Kitten and puppies need more nutrients as their body is developing quickly, some big dogs like Great Danes, Saint Bernard's etc. are not finished growing and developing until 15 months old so it pays to keep them on puppy food until then
I’ve been wondering if I’m feeding my 14 week old bengal kitten too much.. hes 3lbs and eats about 6 to 8 oz of raw food daily.. he’s always hungry lol
what raw food do you use?
In NY where I live it's Illegal to de claw. It's literally the cruelest thing someone could do. The kitty has lifelong pain, arthritis early and they have to re learn to walk. It really is the equivalent of you cutting off the tips of your fingers. Please never do this, hopefully it will be Illegal in all states soon.
what about 2 days
I brought in a stray orange tabby boy, about 8 weeks old, today. He had fleas, so I gave him a bath with dawn dish soap, and I believe all of them are either gone or dead. I've had many cats before, but I've never taken care of one completely on my own, so these tips are extremely helpful. The only thing I'm worried about is that my baby boy, named Ekko, is very skinny. We couldn't afford to feed him, his sister, and his mother as often as we'd like to, but now that he's inside (and very sweet and well-behaved), I can feed him regularly. His sister is also being taken in by a trusted friend. I'm also unsure on how to litter train him. He has to stay in my room, which is fairly large and has the litter box in the corner on hard wood floor. I've shown him the box, sifted the litter around, but he still won't go in the box. I'll keep trying!
Then why would you do the declawing?
Exactly!
Is it normal? A pregnant cat eats 4/ 5 times a day?
Very informative! Declawing cats is very much beneath us! Should be banned.
It is in New York State.
Thankfully declawing is ilegal in Australia (as is tail docking). Why are you doing it? It's cruel and just to suit ignorant humans. Don't do it!
Taking the cat out on a harness will expose them to fleas?
It might! Be sure to prepare appropriately.
12 hours?? My cats can’t go more than 6 😂😂
So I know for dogs grain free food can be harmful to them is this the same for cats?
Probably not; we have a video on it here. kzhead.info/sun/nbKbaNutmatrhJ8/bejne.html
NY now has a ban on declawing cats
I hope the good doctor is no longer practicing claw removal, and preaches against it!
when does she do that? she talks about trimming nails
@@sfheatherr 4:13
@@kayhenry6293 While she said she's done it, she's not advocating it. I don't know of a good reason to do it and would like to hear of any reason to do it, but humans' needs comes first even if we think we're putting animal needs first. Some people are behind the times and looks like the DVM might be one.
I thought declawing in a very wrong way...
What about cat food brand friskies? I will not take my cat outside bugs and all no cat coming to my place with bugs now
We don't recommend it. You can learn more in our cat food brand review here: cats.com/friskies-cat-food-review
Do the back nails of cats need to be trimmed.
I have state medical insurance so cat wont be going to Often vet price.cost to much
Are kittens a cancer in California?
Overall, good information..but, showing a cat eating out of the can, Nooo.. A woman, in our rescue, came back to the kitchen to find blood all over the counter.. The cat had to have stitches $$$ Putting rope on a sofa's legs ?.. I'd want scraching items 'away' from furniture..
You are correct. The edge of a "cat food can" can have sharp edges - not a safe idea. I have given people can openers that do not leave sharp edges on the can.
Pet care should be free the fees are ridiculous as much as we spend on wars to hear $6000 to maybe fox ur cat or put ur cat down for $1000 is crazy
I used to like her! Not any more! I am speechless! ☹ You all know why! Declawing cats it's a crime! Do not have cats if you are thinking to do that awful torture to the poor cat! 😟😟😟
Think you completely misunderstood what she said. She's not for it, she's advocating against declawing by encouraging scratch surfaces. You're weird.
She low-key looks like phoebe buffay lol
Where I live and in all civilized world, declawing is illegal. The fact that you admit performing this operation says a lot about this doctor. Also the fact that she admits not saving animals - when she could have - because of the money issue. This is beyond disgusting. So f you!
nearly every vet has declawed cats before, its was common to do before so people who have been in the field in the long term have done it, just like how a lot of doctors you see in hospitals etc have probably done surgeries in the past which would have been considered controversial. Sometimes it could be a life-death thing for the cat, like an infection or something, but don't just immediately disregard a doctors/vets advise because its immature.
If you clip her nails, how will she catch rats?? Come on now Vet!
Cat illnesses and veterinary costs have skyrocketed! Between crappy cat food and vaccines just like humans, cats end up with a host of expensive problems making it financially troublesome to take on hence cat shelters are at an altime high capacity. The necessities of vaccines and rhe greed for money is ruining pet ownership!
Amen! I don't do vax nor does my kitty! Atrocious greed from docs of all forms.