New Kitten's A Keeper!!

:thumbs up A follow-up on the little rescue kitten I got last week: I took him to the vet a few days ago. Actually, I took him to Blue Cross and those people are great! They gave him a vaccination; did leukemia and feline-AIDS tests; clipped his nails; and sent me home with a starter package of Science Diet wet and dry cat food, a single Harts-Plus flea treatment (which worked great), Heart Worm treatment, and a little kitten info booklet and DVD. All for the price of $38.00!! Most importantly -- I am happy to say that the kitty got a clean bill of health.

Likewise, things are going great between my 1-year-old cat Jackson and the new kitten (Ryder). They are almost inseparable already and play together constantly. I almost have to wear sunglasses when Ryder comes into the room because he sparkles so after the numerous groomings Jackson has given him (and which he begrudgingly endures!) The playing gets a little rough at times and I don't leave them alone together yet.....but from all appearances, getting Jackson a little playmate is just what the doctor ordered!

My one little problem is finding a food that the kitten will eat (and which Jackson will not get into). I know there is another board with cat food issues and that's where I will look next. I've read a couple of posts there and most say dry cat food is junk! Do you folks agree with that? Ryder does not like either the Science Diet's wet OR dry food. At 8 weeks, he seems to want only wet food. I don't mind getting it for him; however, it took me months to get Jackson to eat dry food after being given wet food as kitten. I guess I can give the kitten wet food and feed him in a separate room (so Jackson won't get into it)?!? What do you folks feed your cat/kittens? Thanks!

thats fantastic that they are getting along so well:) i am one of many who will agree, wet food is the best for cats.. if they will eat it, for their kidney health and many other areas. i feed my cat wellness grain free, but there are many good varietys and i am sure you will get alot of feed back on that too.

Great that they are getting along so well. Great the Blue Cross worked out so well.
The Harts PLus - was that Hartz Plus? If so you may want to look at some sites............ It is not a safe product to use on cats/dogs.



http://www.dosomething.org/node/30678

http://www.hartzvictims.org/

http://www.wildlifeprotection.net/everything/eduFleas.html

:I've read a couple of posts there and most say dry cat food is junk! Do you folks agree with that? Ryder does not like either the Science Diet's wet OR dry food. At 8 weeks, he seems to want only wet food.

Smart kitty you got there! Ditch the Science Diet and find a good quality canned food that they both can eat (Wellness is a good choice).

Glad to hear they're getting along. What fun!

:eek: Yes, I did mean Hartz flea stuff. The Red Cross people told me it was safe; however, I'm quickly learning that vets don't always recommend good products. Thankfully, my kitten did not have a bad reaction!

Regarding the food: I just came back from perusing over the many threads in the "cat & dog food" forum. Overwhelmingly, it appears that cats do need quality wet cat food. It also seems that "Wellness" is the preferred brand. Jackson was such a finicky eater as a kitten; so he always got wet food, which he preferred. However, I admit that I switched him over to dry food at about 6 months because of the convenience of it. (He never ate his food at one sitting and I ended up throwing out so much wet food. It just seemed that dry food was an easier way to go.) Now I see that -- although he gets good people food on many occasions -- his diet is lacking in many things by eating primarily dry food. To add insult to injury, I read that "Whiskas" (which Jackson was eating) is considered the MacDonalds of cat food!! :yuck: I guess I'm going cat food shopping today. Other feedback??

Well the important thing is that you're on the right track now! Good for you for taking an interest in providing your kitties with a better diet.

As for leaving food out, it's actually do-able with canned food as well. I know people automatically think it goes bad but it really doesn't. Just put some down in the am, let the cats nibble it at will, and then in the evening give them a fresh batch. You can add a bit of extra water to keep it moist longer. Other options are to freeze some canned in ice-cube trays and then put it out to thaw in their dishes during the day. Also an automatic feeder with frozen gel-packs underneath will keep things fresher, but if your cats don't mind it as is, then I wouldn't worry about it. Sometimes I think my cat prefers the dried out crunchy bits.

That's great they are both getting along so well! I'd get some Revolution, or something of the same quality for fleas and other parasites. Those brands are much better and safer.

As for the food, I agree with SCM. I have my gang on Wellness grain free and i leave it out for them. It's usually gone within a couple of hours anyway and the little crunchy bits either they leave or they nibble on.