I am now officially a cat owner.

[AllegroRondo]

My daughter got a new kitten yesterday. Hooray, I'm now officially the best daddy in the world. At least for a couple days. First vet appointment is tomorrow afternoon.

Any tips for new cat owners? I am clueless about cats, but I've had dogs forever, so Im not totally out of it with pets.

Am I required to post pics to the lounge?

[LynneSin]

1. Without pictures you cannot officially be a DU cat owner

[AllegroRondo]

3. That will have to wait until tomorrow

do I get my password to the DU Cat Owner's group then?

[LynneSin]

5. Nope - that's how we keep out cat freepers

:D

[Shakespeare]

2. The correct term is "ownee"

Welcome to sweet, sweet slavery!

[AllegroRondo]

6. Reminds me of a good joke

A dog thinks: "this person gives me food, water, shelter, and attention, he must be God."

A cat thinks: "this person gives me food, water, shelter, and attention, I must be God."

[Richard Steele]

7. Exactly. You don't "own" the cat, you serve at it's pleasure.

Congratulations!

And as far as "advice", I recommend you get another cat. Seriously.

There's nothing better for a cat's health and happiness
than having another cat around. If they're both "new kittens"
together, it's almost a guarantee that they'll become friends.
If you wait to get another, the "bonding" becomes more iffy.

[malta blue]

4. Congrats - and love your kitten like nobody's business...

you never know when life will throw the curve ball at you. We lost our cat last night to a hit and run.

Make sure the kitten knows where the litter box is and get lots of toys to avoid damage to your furniture.

And most importantly - Enjoy!

[commander bunnypants]

8. Man are you in for it..

wait till 2 am and you walk downstairs and step in a "present"


Enjoy.

I got two..
BTW- buy a carpet cleaner

CB

[AllegroRondo]

11. Carpet cleaner - check

we have 2 dogs, so thats a given.

[Arugula Latte]

20. I'm so sorry about your kitty ...

:hug:

[malta blue]

23. Thank you Oregonian.

You can see him here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6647315

I will not hijack allegrorondo's beautiful moment....
:hug:

[TommyO]

9. First of all, get one thing clear

Cats don't have owners, they have staff.

Best tip - be prepared to clean hairballs, even if you are using hairball formula cat food and brush them regularly.

Also be prepared for unexplained finickiness - they'll love the food one day, and the next day meow angrily that they're starving while a full bowl of food sits in front of them.

[judaspriestess]

10. Congratulations

just get the lil critter fixed as soon as you can so it does not go crazy and run away.

I have two lil babies myself.

[Sanity Claws]

12. Congrats!!

If you really want help, I suggest you start a list of things you need for your new furball: bowls, food, litter box, litter, a litter scooper, some toys (mouse toys, balls), catnip, and a scratching post.
Don't overlook the scratching post. Cats need to scratch and if you don't provide a suitable object for them to use, they will find an unsuitable more expensive item to use. Rub some catnip in it so the cat is attracted to it.
The cat will need a place to sleep. Most times it will just sleep on your bed or your child's bed. If you don't want that, make sure you have something else. My cat likes the igloo shaped bed.
I agree that you get a second kitten to keep it company.

[racaulk]

13. Congratulations on becoming a piece of furniture!

If your kitten becomes a lap kitty, you will serve at his/her pleasure and must provide a warm lap whenever demanded. Prepare for his/her displeasure to be vocalized if you do not comply. :)

Seriously, congratulations on your new addition! If you give your kitten lots of attention and make the ground rules known early (no pooping on the floor, scratching the furniture, etc.), your kitten will grow up to be a wonderful companion for you and your daughter. Invest in a good sisal scratching post and one of those "scratchy boxes" (corrugated cardboard with catnip inside--available at any pet supply store), and these should keep your kitten from being tempted to scratch your couch. A good clean litter box is essential too, and keep it in an out-of-the-way place where there is not a lot of foot traffic so the kitty can have some privacy. And provide toys to keep the cat occupied when you're not home--my cats love the catnip mice and the plastic rings that scoot across the floor. Also, have a supply of cat treats on hand to reinforce positive behaviors, like I'm sure you do with your dogs.

One word of caution, though. You mentioned that you have owned dogs before, and if you're anything like me, I imagine that you enjoy roughhousing when playing with them. Be careful about aggressively playing with your kitten, especially if it is a boy. If you teach your kitten at an early age that aggressive play is OK, you may regret that when you kitten becomes a full-grown cat. Too much rough playing with a kitten could leave you with a socially awkward and ill-tempered cat. I speak from experience, trust me!

And yes, cat posts are always welcome here in the lounge. :)

[AllegroRondo]

17. roughhousing with the dogs

good point. our dogs are 65 and 80 pounds, and we do a bit of 'wrestling' now and then, or fighting over toys, or chasing a ball around. But they are pretty well trained, and know that when dad stands up play time is over.
Does that work with cats? I know that for dogs, if they do something they are not supposed to, like bite, you should end the play time and walk away. Or should I avoid the rough play and just get a catnip mouse?

The dogs have already sniffed out the cat, and dont seem to care about her. I guess they think she doesnt smell like food and isnt a threat, so they leave her alone.

[TZ]

14. Get ready for middle of the night fun....

Seriously, cats believe the dark is the best time to party!! Getting another kitten like others suggest might help from them wanting to play with you at 3 am, but then you have to listen to the "thundering herd" (thats what my two sound like) when they chase each other around the house..Cats are nocturnal creatures, so this is kind of a given...especially in young crazy kittens...:)

[stuntcat]

15. pics ARE required

thanks in advance! :hi:

[cobalt1999]

16. I'm sorry for you.

I kid, I kid. I don't want the cat group here to go after me.

I have a cat around because of my daughter too. This dad just can't say no sometimes. I am amazed though at how the cat will stand up to the dogs (even the German Shepard) when it comes to her favorite spots. The dogs will actually back down from this little ball of fur....crazy.

I still jokingly threaten to dose the thing in BBQ sauce to attract the local coyotes though. :)

[CatholicEdHead]

18. Good for you, time to post this,

I know we have lots of Democratic canines around here so it is not totally accurate on the dog side.

[StarryNite]

19. Every cat owner knows,

nobody owns a cat. Ellen P. Berkeley

My advice is to beware of the claws! You do not want to hold a cat right in front of your face within striking distance of the claws. No matter how cute and innocent they look, they are quick with the paws and claws.

Puppies chew things up, kittens shred!

[Arugula Latte]

21. Here's a tip:

Get another kitten! :hide:

No, seriously, kitties like to have a buddy to play with ... You can't have just ONE kitty. That's against the rules.

I have a kitty who LOVES those corrugated cardboard scratch boxes. She even sleeps on hers (she likes the double-wide models).

Good luck! :hi:

[jobycom]

22. Only advice: surrender.

There is nothing special you need to know about living with a cat. Just let them do their thing, and don't expect to change them. Don't write to us asking "How do I stop the cat from destroying my furniture?" If we knew, we'd be millionaires. :rofl:

[nickinSTL]

24. congrats...I miss being a cat servant

unfortunately, my wife is allergic, so...I don't know when (or if) I'll get to be again.

I get my cat fixes from visiting a friend with cats, and cat pics on DU :D

[triguy46]

25. You don't own cats, they own you. They have won the Darwinian race...

for survival. They have evolved into animals that we have no choice but to feed, house, and care for. We have no choices here, the felines have won.

[Rob H.]

26. Soon you'll wonder how you made it this long without one

Enjoy the new kitten! :)

My tip would be even if they just play-bite when they bite you, break them of that habit asap. My parents' older cat used to bite me when she was a kitten and I'd just think, "Aw, she's so cute--she thinks she's hurting me!" Now when I play with her if she gets too wound up, she still bites but it's so much harder it boggles the mind. She somehow bites without breaking the skin but it feels like I got my hand stuck in a tiny, pointy vise.

[wordsaladwithranch]

27. Watch the hell out for FLUTD

My cat is barely over a year old and it has spent upwards of four weeks total at the vet because of this recurring disorder.

[Pied Piper]

28. When I brought my latest two kitties home...

They were about 10 weeks old. I read somewhere that if you want to let them know (especially when they're quite young) that they are misbehaving, turn your back on them and ignore them. The first night, one of them decided that my tummy was a trampoline. I just put her back on the floor, and gave her sister lots of lovin'. After about 5 times, the little rascal learned that she was not allowed to jump up and down on my tummy in the middle of the night. Now, SHE is the one who loves to jump up on the bed and curl up on my feet and purr.



Miranda and Minerva