New Kitten

[Testicular Diabeetus]

My friends cat had kittens and I am taking one, she is taking the other.
I should have him late next month so now I am kitten proofing my new house.

I have fixed a few holes in the wall, made it to where he cant get into wires, made sure that he couldn't get in the cabinets.
And I fixed the doggie door so he cant go outside.
I plan on taking him to a low cost spay/neuter thing when he is older.
Same with his shots.
I also bought a huge cat jungle gym thing that he can climb on and scratch up...
He also has a ton of toys and new food/water bowls.

What would be the best food to put him on?
It cant be super expensive though.
I'm on a tight budget.

And I have a Miniature poodle.
She is good with cats, and she spends most of her time outside anyway.
She is in a crate when she is inside so I shouldn't have any accidents.
but I want them to be introduced...

 

[CrissAngelLover12345]

Congrats on your future new addition! I will want to see pictures when you get him! biggrin Sounds like you already have a lot of nice stuff for him! biggrin I'm sure he'll be happy!

For litter, avoid the clay kinds. Clay is more expensive in the long run (it may be cheaper than the kinds that aren't clay on it's initial ticket price, but it doesn't last as long), and is also very unhealthy. All kinds of clay litter have a dust that is very harmful for all animals to breathe in. I'd suggest Feline Pine clumping. I use that and it is great! It costs $13- $15 per 10.1 pound box (depending on where you get it), and it lasts a long time. It has more in it than you would think with that weight, it smells really nice, even after the cat has used it, and is easy to clean out. biggrin

For food, sadly, the more expensive kinds are the best kinds. The cheaper ones are loaded with grains (which should not be in a cat's diet at all as their bodies cannot process them, and cats (and dogs) are often allergic to grains), fillers, chemical preservatives (such as BHA and BHT, which are being debated on if they are safe for use or not) and by-products (which are the parts of the animal that is considered not acceptable for human consumption (like the feet, feathers, egg shells, tumors, etc.)). The cheaper canned food may or may not have grains in it, but will be loaded with by-products. Wellness is one of the best for cats. I'd suggest going with their canned food since canned is better for them, but if you can't afford going with canned, I'd suggest Wellness Core dry food. It's about $40 for a 12 lb bag , and it will last a long time if you have him on a feeding schedule, which is what I'd suggest (with an average cat getting about 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup in the evening (though it would vary a bit depending on the size of the cat and activity of the cat, but it probably wouldn't be a whole lot more or less), it should last you several months (one bag is lasting my parents about one month with three cats eating 1/2 cups per day, so it would last one cat about 3 months with that measurement). Of course, start off with Wellness's kitten formula, and then switch to Wellness Core at about 1 year of age. smile I'd suggest also adding water to the food so he won't be dehydrated.

For introductions, I'd suggest allowing them to see each other without being able to actually get to each other first, so they can get used to each other and get to know each other without much issue, and then eventually allow the two of them to interact with each other without the barrier (like a child gate or something of the sort, so they could still sniff each other), supervised of course. biggrin Since the cat will still be very young, it shouldn't be too difficult to get him used to the dog. Your dog will have to get used to the cat, and will probably have to learn the rules of what is acceptable interaction and what isn't, but that will come with time, patience, and training. biggrin  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I don't have time to read Criss's post so I apologize for any repitition.

First congrats, and good work preparing so early.
For food MAKE SURE it's a kitten food. Or a food for all lifecycles will do.

Wellness is generally my recomendation for good food and affordable price. But you know the drill lol. Real meat, no by-products, fewest grains possible. No BHT/BHA or ethoxyquin. Not sure what is available to you or exactly what your budget is.

When introing the dog and cat. Give the cat room to flea and preferably a vertical space too. Like the jungle gym so she can retire if the dog scares her or she gets tired of him.

For the dog a simple leash will do.

If you could tire them out a bit first it may help with the anxiety level. And perhaps wait a night and let the cat settle. Let them listen and smell each other across doors and such.