A little advice to any NEW cat/kitten owners:
1. Never feed them human food. They won't want to eat cat food so much and the medical bill for the impending health problem will make you regret giving the creature human food in the first place.
2. Decide on fixing your cat. Make the decision as soon as possible. It will be relatively gut wrenching but best for the little furry bundle of joy in the long run. My vet said anytime between 4-6 months is best.
3. Indoor or Outdoor - but not both. If you decide to keep your cat inside, never let her go outside and vice versa. With the possibility of fleas and other toxic agents that they WILL find and consume, lets just say that an ounce of prevention is more than worth the pound of cure.
4. Regular vet visits - this is a must if you intend to keep them healthy (or keep them at all!) and purring. I would also look into getting your cat on a medical plan BEFORE he/she gets sick, because once it gets sick, forget the health plan - its just too expensive.
5. NO FISH! Believe it or not, fish is like poison to a cat and if you love your cat don't give it ANY fish. My vet told me that ANY kind of fish for a cat is deadly. Just cause they love the smell and taste does not neccessarily make it healthy. Apparently, the iodine levels in the fish along with any trace amount of mercury or other not so nice chemicals and what have you are DEADLY! So, be forewarned.
6. Change the Litter EVERYDAY. This is just plain common sense.
7. No milk after 6 months of age, no matter what.
8. A hungry cat is a healthy cat! Give your cat its required portion. No more, no less. This way you can assure that she grows healthy and strong with minimal health problems. Over eating is just asking for trouble.
Hope any or all of this advice helps.
