okay, i need advice on how to help take care of a new kitty. She is a kitten of about a month or two. She's eating dry food and is very running around. She was out in the wild before i got her, so she's nto use to my house. I have an older cat and that one's a total bitch.

so how do i make my new kitten feel at home? any advice on about anything would be helpful. I've allready read teh websites, but i want people who actually have cats to add their input.

young cats need to be petted often... go out ofyour way to by physically affectionate... while your watching tv, reading a book, or just sitting there stroking them, to imprint well and keep the kitten happy, PET THEM...

also, litter train with torn up paper strips with a little bit of litter at the bottom so they get used to the smell... shredded paper works great... if need be, keep putting them into the box ANY time you see them sniffing around or rubbing the floor with their paws... once you force them to do it a few times, they get the idea...

thats not to say they wouldnt leave you a surprise on freshly washed bed linens if you piss them off...

And if that happens, leave the cat alone until she comes back at you...

okay, when ever i'm about to pick her up, she hisses at me. I'm wondering if this is something normal.

And after i pick her up and start petting her, she begins to purr, like a... kitten. so is all this normal and stuff. Plus any time she;s in a new room, she meow's very loudly and for a long time until i pick her up.

Unending love, proper food, fresh water all the time, a clean litter tray/ or access to a garden, some more love and some toys.
Of course she's going to hiss at you, she's not totally accustomed to you yet. Spend as much time with her as possible. Instead of just immediately going for her, to pick her up, sit near her for a while, let her come and investigate you, then slowly extend your hand and let her smell you, she needs to get used to your smell. When she's given you a good sniff, slowly start to scratch behind her head and ears. Don't just keep picking her up, first let her get used to you and let her come to you!

thanks

when we got my kitty, she was only about 3 wks old. we kept her in a bedroom until she was old enough to roam the house freely. lots and lots of love is the best thing, i was her mommy because the kitten's mom had no interest in her offspring. kittens love soft little beds that they can lie in and scratching posts are good things to have too. kittens always need attention, remember, they're only babies.

I raised a little kitten from a couple weeks old until I had to give her away (the apartment I was moving to did not allow pets). I fed this kitten every three hours with a medical syringe (without the needle of course). I love cats and have had one nearly every year I have been alive until this year...Lillith is so very right about letting the kitten smell your hand before picking him/her up. I have had several wild kittens and this was the best way to get the accustomed to human company. Just make sure the older cat doesn't torture the little baby!

A cat observes what is around them and impersonates it. If you want a happy cat, you should treat it like it is a part of your pack. If it is an outside cat let him/her out when you are awake and make sure it comes back in when you sleep.

Someone already mentioned not letting them out for two weeks, because they might get lost. Putting butter on their paws gives them a trail back. The two weeks gets them used to living with you too. set them on the bed before going to sleep. Feed them regularly and set out some nibbles like dry meow mix and water. Make sure they always have water.

Then one day you'll notice your cat is just like you. I had a cat for 17 years. It was sometimes stand-offish but when people were around it was almost a dog. Plus, it learned to anser to her name. If I called her and she didn't come in she stayed outside all night. The first time I tried calling her it took awhile, but always addresing your cat by their name is important. My firend told me his cat would lay on the sofa and watch TV.

Oh, a neat trick is holding a cat in front of a mirror. They make the association you are holding them and in the mirror that's you. Eventually, they figure out that's them.

Now heres a subject i have LOTS of experience in

Feeding imprints the feline.. holding her/him while doing so is not the best.. put them in your lap while doing so IS!!!! Pet and stroke them softly/gently while doing so.. Feeding them liquid from your fingertip is a very good idea.. It shows that they can trust you to help them when they need it.. When doing this(drinking), dip your finger in the bowl that you intend to have them drink from.. It forms a visual association with the waterdish..

As for litter box training..... ~shakes head~ THIS is the hardest thing with any pet... Normally kittens learn this from the parent.. As this one has no parent to teach it, and you stated that the other cat is being a bitch, It will not be learned from that one.. The most helpfull tips on this is to take any crap the kitten leaves for you and put it IN the litterbox and slightly bury it.. Then take the kitten to the litterbox and gently put it's nose close(but don't shove it's nose in it.... EVEN though you WANT to do that!!) to the partially buried feces and tell it "this is where you do that!!" If the kitten persists on doing it everywhere BUT the litterbox(like over two weeks), a last resort is to put food, water, and the offending kitten in the room that will be the Permanent location for same litterbox and close the door.. Leave all of the above in the room for about 24hours.. Given the lack of places to go, it will tend to use the box as it is intended.. It will, on occasion, 'forget' where the box is... remind it firmly, but caringly..
One important note....... ALWAYS keep the litterbox CLEAN!!!!!! If you forget to change it often enough... you WILL find out the nasty way....

For bonding, show the kitten affection as often as you can.. holding, carrying, petting, tickling, talking 'baby talk' to it, thinking positive thoughts while doing the above...
As for the pissy attitude your getting from the other cat.. pet it and say nice things to it WHILE your showing the kitten affection.. That way the older cat will see that you still love it and, hopefully, will just show the kitten that IT is Still the boss!!! And if your really lucky, the older one will start to teach the young'in what the rules are... and discipline the young one when she/he screws up!!

chew on that for a bit and i'll come back later and post what i've forgotten to.... Enjoy your new owner Ryan

okay, she's on dry food and knows how to use the litter box perfectly. and thanks for the bonding advice. thats nice. we are bonding well. she likes to lick fingers. i have no idea why, but she sure does like them fingers. and the two of the are right now at angry acceptence. they don't like it but its okay.

She likes the salt.

It is great you are getting along.

all, i think she may have flees or something bugging her. is there any medicine that is made for kittens or do i just have to get her a good old flee bath.

You need to deflea your cats every month. Fleas are especially rampant in Summer. And no, please rather don't bath your cat, they're not like dogs, even though you may find cat shampoos on the market it's really not preferable. (My opinion). And they don't ensure on-going prevention.
And flea collars are terrible, they really damage the fur and skin and cause all sorts of skin allergies. Rather get a flea program from your vet, you get a variety of means in which to regularly deflea a pet. I use an ointment that you put at the back of their necks, that's all, and it's done only once (a month). It's a small amount and doesn't need to cover the entire coat of the cat.
Dry food is preferable too, but it does greatly depend on brand. It's a rather expensive process to care for an animal correctly, commercial food is so much cheaper, yet it's not necessarily nutritional. I don't know if vets where you are supply specially formulated pet food?! Mine does, and that is all I buy for my cats. Also, it's really good to once in a while give them fresh food, as in tuna or chicken. Which is a huge moral dilemma for me, but that's a different matter altogether.

unless of course you are keeping the cats indoors 24/7 house cats that are indoors allways rarely(if ever) get fleas.. But you might have to watch for mites..
cats, other than being occasional attention whores, are one of the lowest maintinance pets around.. or at least they should be as they are the most self sufficient pets that can own you...

she;s having fun. she thinks my keyboard is a play thing when ever i'm typing. it's kind of annoying and cute. and she is such an attention whore. but thank you all for the input. i think i got it down now.