General Kitten Tips
Kittens will get into the most amazing places!
Whether they get into trouble depends a bit on you! One of the main sources of difficulty is string and thread – once a kitten has something in her mouth, the rasps on her tongue make it hard to spit a thread out, and she will very quickly swallow it. If it gets tangled in her intestine, it will tear internal organs and cause a huge problem. So no unsupervised string games, and be careful of the thread around a roast as that is tasty and fun. Rubber bands carry a similar warning!
And please check your washing machine and dryer before turning them on (or leave their doors firmly closed) as many cats have been sleeping comfortably in a pile of laundry, only to find themselves in real trouble when the machines go on. A deadly place to nap.
Many drugs are very hazardous to your cat. They are very susceptible to poisoning by an assortment of everyday chemicals and drugs. DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON YOUR CAT'S COAT THAT HAS NOT BEEN AUTHORISED BY YOUR VET. Your cat will lick it off, and could make herself very ill. In fact, the most common way a cat gets poisoned is to walk through a substance, then lick it off her coat. And please, DO NOT GIVE YOUR CAT ANY MEDICATION NOT SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR CATS. Painkillers in particular destroy cats' livers and kidneys, and using them can turn a small problem into a fatal one. Especially dangerous is Paracetemol (Panadeine etc.) and aspirin.
Kittens need a great deal of time devoted to their social requirements, and it is called Playtime! If yours is a Solo Cat, then you need to set aside at least 20 minutes twice a day for intensive, to the point of exhaustion type play. It is easier on your hands if you use a fishing pole with an attached toy, or the wire and ball sets. Try throwing balls (some cats quickly learn to fetch!) and other interactive toys. All the play skills are basically hunting preliminaries (this is totally natural and it would be inappropriate to try to change it), so hide-and-seek is excellent also. Of course, your SCRATCHING POST is also a source of excitement for your kitten!
TWO KITTENS are easier to raise, especially if you are away for more than eight hours a day regularly (and even more important if yours is a 10 - 12 hour workday), as they can keep each other company, and may wander less if they are allowed out while you are away. For totally indoor cats, these socialising requirements are close to essential, as you, their owner, are providing all their mental stimulation, and bored cats do go a bit crazy (there is even a term behaviourists use called Separation Anxiety seen in cats and dogs who can't bear for their owners to be away–-by that stage another pet will not help).
If you find your kitten is attacking your feet and getting a bit too violent when they play – consider another cat (!), or increase the intensity of your playtime, using toys not your hands or feet, and show them that rough play is wrong (hold them by the scruff like mother cat would, shake firmly – not violently– and GROWL “no”! or HISS!! It gets their attention every time).
Most cats will accept a new kitten if they are less than two years old, and the sex of the other cat does not seem to be important. Our guideline is to pick another kitten that loves you, then go from there!
A further hint for socialising your kitten is to feed her on your lap for a few days (using dried food on a flat dish), so that you become mother cat. It means you cannot leave the dried food out all the time (take it up when you go to bed, so she is hungry for breakfast) and again when you come home (so she is hungry later in mid-evening). It usually only takes a couple of days, especially if you combine it with SOCIAL GROOMING with a flea comb!