Got a new longhair kitten? How do I care for and train them?

Good for you for starting your kitten on the right foot! Socialization is the key to having a happy and well-adjusted kitten, and the earlier that socialization begins, the better. Try to expose your kitten to as many different people, noises, healthy animals (that are up-to-date on vaccinations) and situations as possible. Play with your kitten regularly to keep them exercising and out of trouble. Games of fetch or chase the laser pointer are favorites of many kittens. Offer your kitten a scratching post and regularly trim their nails so that this routine aspect of normal grooming poses less stress. Particularly during the first four months of life, kittens need to make regular trips to the veterinarian for wellness exams and vaccinations to assure that they are healthy and developing properly, as well as preventing many different viral diseases.

1) Get a kitten, that is at least 12 weeks old. That way it had time to socialize and playfight with its siblings and Mama had time to teach it everything it needs to know to be a good kitty. 2) Feed it good quality brand name complete kitten food 3) Put the water dish at least 5 ft away from the food dish 4) Kitten toys: lots of crinkly paper balls are a great toy for kittens, a feather on a long string and a rod....you can "fish" for your kitty.... 5)Get a comb and a brush and start combing your kitty regularly so it gets used to it and learns to like it. Ragdolls can have problems with matted hair if not combed regularly. 6) Get hair ball remedy just in case 7) Give it LOTS of love. The more love you give your kitty, the more love you get back. Be prepared to ba climbing tree for your kitty....it is normal 8) Get a scratch box for it so it learns to use it and stays away from furniture 9) Please do not have your kitty declawed. Declawing is amputation of the last bone in its fingers and is not necessary and barbaric, can cause lifelong pain and leaves your cat without a way of defending herself.

Poor Tim! If you can't find the mother, you will need to take care of Tim. Young kittens can require a lot of care initially. At his age, Tim can begin weaning. If he is healthy, he will eat out of low lipped bowls or plates. I recommend to get kitten formula, canned kitten food and dry (kibble kitten food). Set out a bowl of the plain dry kibble, a bowl of the canned kitten food and bowl of kibbled soaked in formula. You may need to smear the canned food and the soaked kibble around his mouth or even place a few small pieces in his mouth. Most kittens will begin eating this way. Gradually reduce the amount of soaked kibbled over the next 3 weeks. The food I recommend most is called Royal Canin Baby Cat. It is made for young kittens under 8 weeks of age: https://www.royalcanin.com/us/cats/products/retail-products/mother-babycat-dry-cat-food Here is a link about raising very young kittens including a formula you can make at home if nothing else is available: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/ Lastly, here is a link about litterbox training: https://www.petcoach.co/article/litter-box-training-for-your-kitten/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It would be helpful to know how old your kitten might be - if it is very young the feeding and care are very different when compared to an older kitten that has already been weaned. Below are a couple of websites that have lots of good information on general cat and kitten care. I would recommend taking it to a veterinarian promptly to establish care and to make sure there aren't any health concerns since it was a stray kitten. You can also discuss a vaccination and deworming schedule depending on its age. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/cat_care_essentials.html

It sounds like you are on the right track! I would recommend bringing her into a vet soon if you haven't already, for her first checkup, deworming and round of shots (abandoned kittens that don't get mother's milk may need their first vaccination a bit earlier than usual since they don't have the antibodies they'd get from nursing). Introducing her to a litter box once she gets a little bit older is also a good next step, as well as starting her on a mash of solid food and milk replacer to start weaning her. If you're still having trouble with how to care for her, talking with your local humane society is a great idea- they often have orphaned kitten programs and may be able to offer a class or other help in helping Princess grow up healthy.

Hi there! I'm including an article on how to care for orphaned kittens that may help you! As they are of the age where they should be transitioning to solid food, you can start making a slurry for them of wet kitten food mixed with their formula in addition to their regular feedings. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/litter-box-training-for-your-kitten/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/vaccines-vaccination-schedule-for-cats-kittens/

You're going to need to be a little more specific than that! Based on that picture, your kitty is looking pretty comfortable! A six week old kitten should already be fully weaned and on its way to litter trained. Feed it a high quality kitten food, make sure it has a comfortable place to sleep, access to water at all times, some toys, and plenty of love. In terms of medical care, I would make sure it has been properly dewormed by taking a fecal sample into a vet to have it viewed microscopically. It should start getting its first series of vaccines at eight weeks. It can be rabies vaccinated by twelve weeks of age.