Questions about having a cat?

The best thing that you could do before you become a cat owner is to visit your local vets office and talk to the vet in person and ask these questions to that person. Get the low down from the horses mouth, so to speak. Then you will know just how much you will have put forth to treat your baby right.

Food, snacks, toys, litter,... cost me about $50/ month.
i think kittens get 3 shots for the first year and then it's once a year.
- i would not recommend getting them declawed because 1st, it's very expensive and 2nd, if they ever get outside the house, they would not be able to survive.

kittens are very cute and fun to play with.

lets see i just got 2 6wk old kitties went to walmart got 25lb litter 15lb food litter box treats 4cans wet food 3bowls for food/water and it was less than $20 its been 2wks still have more than half of food and used bout 1/4 of litter. thats for 2kitties. if you look around try calling all the different vets and shelters in area to see bout shots they run from $12-$50 sometimes they offer special deals on certain days. and dont get your cat declawed its not nice. but do get them fixed. i found a place that does it for $29 but then again im in california ask around on craigslist.com under ur state and city see if anyone knows bout a low cost place. good luck!

Declawing a cat is amputating the ends of their fingers. Its a barbaric practice that most vets won't do any more. It isn't necessary and is extremely painful, especially if it doesn't heal right. So, imho, declawing isn't an option. You can teach kitty house manners. Be sure to get a scratching post or cat tree for your kitty to sharpen its claws on. Its a natural cat behavior.
I suggest also that you get another kitten with the same litter to keep the first kitty company and to play with. It keeps it from wanting to play with you in the middle of the night. The kitties should see a vet the day of getting them or at least within the first week of being in your home. This would take care of the shots straightaway as well as assure you your kitty is healthy. You can ask the vet about brushing kitty's teeth. It sounds crazy but they do have cat tooth brushes and cat toothpaste specifically for kitty's dental health. You'll save your cats a lot of misery by brushing their teeth. Not to mention the vet bills for dental work. BE sure to spay/neuter your kitty at 4 months. There are thousands of kitties that have to be euthanized because they have no room in the shelters and they have no homes. Spaying or neutering is part of responsible pet ownership, your vet will agree.
Good luck with your new friend. You won't regret having a cat. Be sure to talk to friends or the vet if you have other questions. They are the best little buddies.

Don't declaw the cat!!!!!!!! Yes it is very painful. Not only that, but if your cat accidentally gets outside, it will have no way to defend itself against predators. Clip its nails instead. OR they even have scratching posts that are rough that shave your cat's claws down for you.

Never Ever EVER get a cat declawed. That is about the worst thing you can do to a cat. What a declaw is, the vet actually cuts off the top portion of it's toe. It would be the same as cutting off the first part of your finger. Yes it hurts them and is just down right cruel and mean. It's alot easier just to either trim their names or use soft paws nail coverings. Their nails are their main form of defense and got forbid if the cat gets outside and has no form of defense in getting away from a attacking dog, or to even find any food. If their nails are taken away most often they go for their next form of defense which is their teeth. I'd rather deal with the claws than their teeth any day. Use something called cat scratchers. They come in a variety of sizes, and styles.
Now for vaccinations Every 3 weeks starting at 8 weeks.
As for food the best kitten food you can buy would be the best.
Kitty litter can be cheap depending on what kind you get. In the long run scoopable is actually cheaper than most cuz you don't have to throw out the whole litter box of litter. Just scoop it out on a daily basis and leave the rest. I get my litter at wal mart and get their special kitty litter which is under 7 bucks for 28 pounds. With the regular stuff like johnny cat you got to toss the whole litter pan in the trash and start over again with fresh. In the long run it will cost more thru out the cats life than scoopable cuz your throwing out less

Plan on spending about $300 on vet care. The kitten will need to be dewormed at 6 weeks old. At 8 weeks, it will need it's first course of vaccinations and flea treatment. At 10 & 12 weeks it will need the other sets of vaccinations. It will need to be spayed/neutered at about 3 months old. Do not have it declawed. That is cruel and unnecessary. It hurts alot and it can cause problems for the kitten's entire life. Get it a scratching post and it will be fine. Do not take the kitten from it's mom till it's at least 8-10 weeks old. It needs time with it's mom to learn social skills it needs to be a good pet. You want to feed it a good food, not the cheap junk food. Cheap food doesn't supply the nutrients the kitten needs to stay healthy. Here are some links to websites that will help you study up on cats while you're waiting for your kitten to be ready to come home with you. A kitten is not a toy. you will need to spend money on vet care and supplies for it it's whole life. A well cared for cat can live to be 20 years old. Make sure you can commit to it for that long before you get one.
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=005
http://www.catinfo.org
http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html
http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp

A new kitten needs to be microchiped so in case it gets lost it can be brought back to you again.When it is a kitten it needs about 3 shots every three months then only once a year.


You don't have to get the most expensive catfood or little.Get the pebble type litter as it is the best.
Dexing is not that expensive either.

Oh brother, declawing a cat IS NOT barbaric. It is a VERY routing procedure that DOES NOT have to be painful if you and your veterinarian take care of it the right way. As with all surgical procedures, If not taken care of properly you run the risk of all kinds of complications. Imagine the amount of homeless cats if people were not allowed to declaw them. Again the procedure itself is done in a very humane way and anybody who tells you different is completely ignorant. You should never let your cat outside regardless if it's declawed or not, make sure you buy pain medication to keep them comfortable and do it before they become adults. This procedure does not have to be as ugly as everybody claims it is. Either way animals are very expensive. If you want the best for your kitty and I assume you do, then you will keep him/her on a very good quality diet such as Science diet, Royal Canin or my personal favorite Orijen, as well as many others. Make sure you have them vaccinated on schedule and spay or neuter them between 4-6 months. With a little homework and a little extra money on the side in case your kitty may have some unforeseen medical condition and a whole lot of love and TLC i'm sure you will be a great parent, and if declawing is not for you then that's fine also but if it is then remember that us veterinarians and veterinary technicians have your kitty's well being at heart and we all wish you the very best.

Well, First of all It's not very expensive, because food is really cheap, and basically that's all it needs, other then water and a few toys of course, But honestly I don't de-clawed my cat very much, Because It's killed a few mice already. And no It does not hurt them to get there nails cut, unless you cut to far.