The 10 Biggest Mistakes New Kitten Owners Make

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Mistakes? What? No, not us; we are purrfect! Okay, okay, all jokes aside (and it was a good one, if I dare say so myself), cat owners are far from perfect. We are just like the rest of the world. Granted, we do have cats that don’t require walks and that can use the restroom on their own which pretty much makes them potty trained, but whatever. We all make mistakes with our cats. Remember that time I adopted a pit bull and brought it home and it immediately ate my cat and it cost me hundreds of dollars worth of trips to the vet and doctor to save its life and prevent me from developing any infectious diseases or losing my left hand (Note to all: Do not ever attempt to pry a cat from the jaws of a dog – even if your young children are watching in horror and you feel you have to be a superhero). Well, new kitten owners are not perfect and we do make mistakes, so we thought we’d talk about those mistakes in an effort to help other new kitten owners avoid making them.

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No Self-Control

The worst thing you can do is get a new kitten just because you have no self-control. I did this once and things did not end well. You know they’re cute, so go ahead and play with them and pet them and love them and then walk away from them. There is nothing worse than bringing a lovable kitten into a home in which no one wants a kitten.

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No Parasite Control

Bugs and parasites and fleas; they happen and they happen to kittens. You have to have a plan for this. It’s not like you can just ignore it. You have to have some sort of control so that your cat does not end up with fleas or other parasites. This means a trip to the vet as soon as you get your kitten home so that you don’t end up with a mess on your hands – and a house full of fleas.

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You Assume they Know All about the Litter Box

Did you know you have to train kittens to use the litter box? Well, many people are not aware of this and it can be a bit of a problem. You do have to litter box train your cat. It’s really not a difficult process, but it is one that you do need to consider. You can find out how this is done by simply doing this; take the cat to the litter box and allow it to go in and explore. Do this several times a day and then before you know it, the kitten is trained.

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You Don’t Spay or Neuter

You have to; you just have to. You might not think your indoor cat needs this, but it does. You just never know when a cat might get out by accident and come home pregnant. If you’re not willing to care for all those kittens when they are born, you’re going to be in serious trouble. So get this done to prevent even more homeless cats from being born.

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You Don’t Clean the Box Enough

I don’t know why people don’t clean this thing more often, but I assume it’s because it’s gross. You do have to clean it regularly. We clean ours once a day even though we have only one cat. It makes everyone feel better, and our cat will not use the litter box if he feels it’s too messy for him. To prevent him from using the bathroom somewhere inappropriate, we just clean the box regularly. Trust me, it helps to keep us all sane and happy.

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You Use Bowls

Cats have very sensitive whiskers, and that makes it nearly impossible for them to eat as well as they should out of a bowl. You should put their food on a plate instead, and it will make everyone happier as a whole. Plates make it much easier for small kittens to eat, so that makes it much easier for you to make your kitten happy and comfortable in your home.

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You Forgo the Groomer

Cats do need a groomer, and you have to remember this. You should brush your cat every week so that you can help keep its coat thick and shiny and healthy. Additionally, you should also make sure that you do this so that you are able to minimize the amount of time your cat spends shedding all over your house. I don’t know about you, but there is nothing more annoying that sitting down in that new LBD and finding cat hair all over it.

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You Don’t Vaccinate

The vaccination deal is just a mystery to me; why people choose to ignore things that will help save lives is just crazy. So what we’ve done is come up with a way that people can help save lives of their animals and kids; it’s called vaccinations. Do them. Don’t ignore them. Just do it. Ask your vet about it and then do it.

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You Feed them All the Time

Cats do not need an endless stream of food. In fact, they do not need to eat all they want. Feed your cat once a day so that you can make sure that they don’t end up obese or sick and you’ll be good to go. Some cats might require a special diet, and your vet can talk to you about that. However, you should keep feedings to once a day to prevent a sick, unhealthy fat cat from appearing.

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You Let them Outside

Kittens just don’t belong outside. They belong inside where there are no large animals that can make them into a meal. Additionally, they’re safe from disease and illness and fleas more so in the house than outside the house. Go ahead and make sure that you keep your new little kitten indoors so that it actually lives to become the cat of your dreams.

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